Cranston Cites Emigration Slowdown

Sen. Alan Cranston (D. Calif.), Deputy Majority Leader in the Senate, said today that the Soviet Union is jeopardizing its position in the “community of nations” if it continues to “curtail” Soviet Jewish emigration and extends the “harassments” of “refusniks” and human rights activists.

Cranston said in a statement that only 2803 Soviet Jews were allowed to emigrate in January, the lowest level in 16 months. In September, 1978, 2523 Jews were allowed to emigrate. Since then, the monthly totals have increased steadily. The total last month was 1342 less than in December. Cranston noted that the monthly average during all of 1979 was 4277. He gave the total for 1979 as 51,320, compared with 28,864 in 1978, and 16,737 in 1977. At the rate of emigration for the first 15 days of this month, the February total will be 2552.

Cranston said that the decreased emigration comes amid harassment of Jews, especially refusniks and of human rights activists in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. If the visa curtailment and harassment continue, it will further undermine the Soviet position in the community of nations and will further reduce the possibility that we will see any significant improvement of U.S. Soviet relations in the months and years ahead.”

APPLICATIONS INCREASE

Cranston emphasized that the drop in emigration comes despite a “marked increase in applications during 1979 and follows by only four months the record-high emigration level of 4746 last October.” Cranston speculated that the drop is a result of decisions taken by Soviet authorities last fall, before the invasion of Afghanistan. In the wake of the invasion, he continued the Soviet heightened requirements for emigration applications and the closing of visa-control offices (ovir) and a crackdown on dissidents.