Speech #840076875

Now it has 166 million people. Where did they come from? Over 99 percent of them are immigrants or the descendants of immigrants. They came in great waves. between the Civil War and World War Ihopeful and hardworkingspreading the energy of freedom across the landdeveloping the farms and building the cities. What has happened to this liberating process. to the immigration that has made America? The stream has been reduced to a trickle of 200.000 a year. Of course we cannot throw away the gates and permit everyone to enter the United States. because we would be suffocated by the rush of those who know our country to be a paradise on earth. We could not provide accommodations and employment fast enough for them. Everyone is agreed that immigration must be regulated in fairness to ourselves and the newcomers. The method of regulation. however. is the subject of serious criticism. Back in 1924 Congress established the quota system. Under this formula. each country was assigned a certain percentage of the total number of immigrants coming to the United States each year. based on A5031 that nationalitys percentage of the United States population in 1920. These ratios. while mathematically fair. indirectly favored the racial groups that first came to this country. That quota system is still the basic immigration law. Under it more than twothirds preference is given to the nationals of northern and western Europe. Great Britain and Ireland are assigned 55 percent of the whole. Countries like China. India. and Japan. whose people were once excluded from entry. now have quotas permitting 100 to 185 of their nationals to emigrate to our country each year. There are some exceptions. People from Canada. and the Republics of LatinAmerica. can come in any number. Wives. husbands. and children of American citizens are also free to enter. The quota system is riddled by contradictions. Great Britain and Ireland use only onethird of their quota. while other countries have long waiting lists. The latest figures show that 65.000 can come from Great Britain and Northern Ireland each year. but only 21.000 avail themselves of the privilege.