Speech #830100856

It is my understanding that this subsection as reported by the committee would permit the admission to the United States of 2.000 Portugese nationals who were resident on the Portuguese mainland at the date of this enactment. My amendment does not add to that number but merely permits Portuguese nationals who are residents of the Azores Islands to qualify for admission to the United States. There is no reason for discriminating against residents of the Azores Islands in this immigration bill and in adopting my amendment we are correcting an inequity in the bill as it is presently drafted. The great bulk of the section 4 classes are justified on the reasoning that dire economic circumstances in the country of origin justify us as a Christian people in opening the doors of our land of opportunity to relieve such circumstances for individuals admitted and for their country of origin to the end that justice and humanity be served and our role as a friendly nation demonstrated. These considerations dictate the inclusion of the Azores Islands as an area of origin.