WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:13.440 In 1960 I became a refugee. My parents brought  my sister and me to this country fleeing the   00:00:13.440 --> 00:00:20.069 communist takeover of Cuba. It was the second  time in my mother’s life that she was a refugee;   00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:26.497 she fled the Nazis with her parents, and they lost  most of their family members in the Holocaust. 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:34.160 World Refugee Day has special significance for me.  I know well what it means for individuals to flee   00:00:34.160 --> 00:00:41.269 their country of origin, to lose their home, be  displaced, and to start anew in a different land. 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:48.436 At the same time, I know full well  that I did not suffer the persecution,   00:00:48.436 --> 00:00:54.720 deprivation, and hardship that so very many  have suffered and continue to suffer today.   00:00:55.920 --> 00:01:05.600 I have seen that suffering firsthand; uppermost  in my mind is my visit to the Dadaab refugee camp   00:01:05.600 --> 00:01:13.200 on the border of Kenya and Somalia. There I saw  300,000 people sleeping on the sand without a   00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:20.240 roof over their heads. I attended an interview  that one of our refugee officers conducted   00:01:20.240 --> 00:01:27.747 with a family of six, a family that hoped to find  a new home of safety, stability, and promise.   00:01:28.880 --> 00:01:35.803 The officer asked the eldest of four children – a  young woman 17 years of age, where she was born.   00:01:37.440 --> 00:01:45.600 The young woman looked puzzled at the officer  and said, “why, here; I was born here,   00:01:45.600 --> 00:01:52.838 in the camp.” She knew nothing else of  the world but life in the refugee camp. 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:58.000 On this World Refugee Day, there are nearly   00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:04.423 80 million refugees and internally  displaced persons around the world. 00:02:05.360 --> 00:02:10.378 Our country once led the world in  its standing as a place of refuge.   00:02:10.640 --> 00:02:14.560 I am deeply honored to serve in  the Biden-Harris Administration   00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:21.280 and to once again work alongside the personnel in  the Department of Homeland Security, the talented   00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:28.445 public servants who dedicate themselves to  providing relief for those displaced and in need.   00:02:29.040 --> 00:02:35.840 I am proud to work with our international and  community partners who share this noble mission.   00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:43.040 Together we will restore our standing and  our light will again shine bright, as we   00:02:43.040 --> 00:02:49.840 execute the President’s and the Vice President’s  vision: one of humanity, and of refuge. 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:51.701 Thank you.