Tibetan Refugee Assistance Act

Rep. George Miller meets with His Holiness the Dalai Lama on October 6th in the U.S. Capitol. The Dalai Lama was presented with the Tom Lantos Human Rights Prize for his human rights work and messages of peace and non-violence.

Rep. George Miller previously met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala when Miller traveled to India last year with a congressional delegation led by Speaker Pelosi. During that trip, the Dalai Lama made a personal plea to the members, asking them to help Tibetan refugees living in exile.

Miller and Rep. James Sensenbrenner introduced H.R. 1340 to provide 3,000 qualified Tibetans with immigrant visas over the course of three years. The legislation is an expression of American support for the well-being of the Tibetan exile community and its effort to find a peaceful solution for Tibet. It will help greatly in the effort to relieve overburdened settlements in India and Nepal, while giving thousands of Tibetans the chance to flourish in Tibetan-American communities across our great nation.

In the 50 years since the Dalai Lama was forced to flee Tibet, some 150,000 Tibetans have followed him into to exile. The number keeps growing as thousands traditionally come over the Himalayas every year. The Tibetan communities in India and Nepal face many challenges, including the task of absorbing and accommodating new refugees. The infrastructure in these settlements is wearing out, and the absorptive capacity for services and jobs cannot keep up with the demands.

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