World Refugee Day

Floor Speech

WORLD REFUGEE DAY -- (House of Representatives - June 20, 2007)

(Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, today is World Refugee Day, and I rise to draw the attention of this body to the plight of millions of refugees and internally displaced people around the world.

As a beacon of hope and freedom, the United States has historically been a leader in raising awareness and providing assistance to the world's refugees, and the need is certainly great.

Thousands, for instance, of Iraqis have been forced to flee their homeland and face a daily existence that denies them even the most basic protections. The military dictatorship in Burma has inflicted such horrific violence on the Burmese people that hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee just to save their own lives. These are just two examples. The list goes on.

There are over 8 million refugees, nearly 24 million IDPs, internally displaced people, worldwide. Combined, that's nearly equal to the population of California.

On this World Refugee Day, let us remember the plight of these people. Try to find ways that we can help and support them.

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