Speech #530131747

Chairman. I must say that I agree with many of the statements made by the gentleman who just preceded me in the well. the author of the amendment. I recognize that there is a need. if we are going to have immigration reform. to somehow deal with the question of those foreign workers and the numbers that will be established at the period of time when we actually come upon it that they are needed. As he has indicated. no one in this Chamber wishes to subject these individuals to inhumane treatment. But in response to the gentlemans allegation that the bill before us would somehow take us back to a period of shame in our Nations history. that is. the old Bracero Program. I would suggest to the gentleman that we do not have to go back anywhere. we can talk about the Bracero Program that exists today. It is called illegal immigration. It has caused many. hundreds of thousands. if not millions. of illegal aliens to come across our borders to work in areas where work is available to them. and although only 15 percent of that total. it is estimated. finds itself in agriculture. it is a very large number. When I said to the gentleman that somewhere between 150.000 and 170.000 may be needed. I was speaking about what the present circumstances are in just two States of the Union.