Public Law 96-212, the Refugee Act of 1980, which President Carter signed into law on March 17, 1980 and which went into effect on April 1, 1980, stands as irrefutable evidence of our humanitarian and democratic ideals and concerns as a nation. Adopted after years of study and in the light of our increasing experience in confronting the refugee problem as a permanent phenomenon of global dimensions, the new law represents a watershed in our immigration history. This is the first comprehensive amendment of our general immigration laws designed to face up to the realities by stating a clear-cut national policy and providing a flexible mechanism to meet the rapidly shifting developments of a troubled world.