Home > 2006 Speeches

World Refugee Day
House of Representatives - June 20, 2006

Mr. Speaker, of all the urgent matters in the world today, and there are many, none is more poignant than the plight of millions of homeless refugees in countries like Africa, Asia and Latin America, and here in the United States.

There are 8.4 million refugees worldwide. Some were displaced because of natural disasters. Most were forced to flee their homes and their homeland and loved ones to avoid being killed because of persecution, civil war and outright genocide.

They were forced to flee through no fault of their own, and were forced to abandon their belongings and their lives. They fled with the clothes on their back, memories and hopes that one day they would go home again.

Today we meet some of these people. This is World Refugee Day, organized by the United Nations to focus attention on the millions of innocent people who are entitled to live and not merely survive.