INSIDE WASHINGTON
Changing U.S. Refugee Policy
Has Tacit Jewish Approval
JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Correspondent
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Gabriel Kapl
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Cystic Fibrosis
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This space contributed as a public service.
ecent indications of
impending changes in
U.S. refugee policy
came as no surprise to Soviet
Jewry activists here.
Reports in several major
newspapers, including the
New York Times, have sug-
gested a policy turnabout
that will deny refugee status
to thousands of Soviet Jews.
But the situation is less a
turnabout than a gradual
evolution — an evolution that
has taken place with the
unspoken approval of many
top Soviet Jewry activists.
"There is a recognition, bas-
ed on notions of balance and
equity, that the U.S. govern-
ment cannot carry the finan-
cial burden of this new wave
of immigration indefinitely,"
said one top Soviet Jewry ac-
tivist here. There was no for-
mal Jewish organizational in-
put into the evolution of these
policies, but the administra-
tion did take into account the
tacit acceptance by the
Jewish community. They
were aware of this growing
sense of realism in the Jewish
community, and they were
aware of the difficulties some
Federations have had in fund-
raising!'
The administration is ex-
pected to make its intentions
a little clearer in congres-
sional hearings scheduled for
this week. But the rough
outlines of the plan, which
will shift all refugee process-
ing for Soviet Jews to Moscow
and continue policies which
make it tougher for Soviet
emigres to qualify as
"refugees," have been evident
for almost a year.
"The idea is for the ad-
ministration to get its hands
on the spigot in Moscow,
rather than simply respond to
whatever numbers the
Soviets chose to let out," said
David Harris, Washington
representative for the
American Jewish Committee.
"All of this is a way of gain-
ing control over what had
been a wild, disorganized pro-
cess."
Initial reports suggested
the administration plan
would face tough going in
Congress, where several bills
are in the hopper restoring
the old system of automatical-
ly classifying Soviet Jews as
refugees.
But top Capitol Hill staffers
indicated that congressional
indignation over the expected
changes would be mostly for
show. Congress, these sources
said, is more worried about
the budgetary bottom line.
And there is growing concern
about establishing precedents
that could come back to
haunt this country if an ex-
pected surge of refugees from
China, Hong Kong and
Eastern Europe materializes
in the next few years.
Will Ohio Rep Run
For Governor?
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30
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1989
Rep. Ed Feighan is a living
example of how the abortion
controversy is reshaping the
entire political landscape.
Feighan, an Ohio
Democrat, is being urged to
give up the easy life in
Washington and make a run
for the state house in
Columbus.
According to most experts,
Feighan faces the prospect of
losing his seat in the
redistricting that will. follow
the 1990 census. Or, Feighan's
district could be combined
with that of Rep. Mary Rose
Oakar. Oakar has been a pro-
minent supporter of Arab-
American causes — setting
up the possibility of a race
between one of Israel's
strongest supporters in Con-
gress, and one of Israel's most
persistent critics.
But the abortion issue is
complicating matters. Both
the Democratic and the
Republican front-runners for
the 1990 gubernatorial race
oppose abortion. And
Feighan, a popular politician
who happens to be both pro-
choice and Catholic, is being
urged by pro-choice groups to
throw his hat in the ring.
Pro-Israel groups, on the
other hand, would like
Feighan to stay right where
he is — especially because his
departure could leave Oakar
with an open field.
So far, Feighan has not
revealed his intentions. But
he may have revealed a few
clues during his recent swing
through California, where he
met with a number of pro-
Israel activists — and ap-
parently enlisted support for
another congressional bid.
Nixon Crony Malek
May Get Bush Post
It took longer than some
people thought, but Fred
Malek, the recycled Nixon
aide who once participated in
efforts to clear out an alleged
"Jewish cabal" in the Depart-
ment of Labor, may be getting
a job in the Bush
administration.
Malek has been offered the
job of organizing next year's
economic summit of the in-
dustrialized nations; so far, he
has only said that he is con-
sidering the offer.
Last year, Malek resigned
his post as a top aide to the
Bush campaign after revela-
tions that he had participated
in a scheme to identify
Jewish employees of the
Bureau of Labor Statistics
while he was Richard Nixon's
White House personnel chief.
Back then, Malek had a
reputation for toughness that
led H.R. Haldeman, no slouch
himself in the hardball
department, to call him "the
Ax."
Fred Malek:
Organize Summit?
At the time of his downfall
last year, Malek was con-
sidered a front-runner for the
White House chief of staff job
— a post that eventually went
to John Sununu.
Late last year, he began