Speech #850124490

The need for such legislation is urgent. since many of the children adopted by American families face death in their homelands because of inadequate food. medical care. and poor sanitation. Children adopted by American families have already died while private legislation has been pending in Congress. I am. indeed. pleased that the House and Senate Judiciary Committees are now actively considering legislation which would provide for the admittance of these orphan children. and I earnestly hope that the humanitarian and noncontroversial orphan legislation can be kept separate from the controversial changes in our immigration laws. Mr. President. I was honored to join with the Senator from Massachusetts and other liberal Senators in sponsoring S. 2410 which provides for liberalization of our basic immigration laws. This proposal would permit the reallocation of unused immigration quotas and provides for other humanitarian changes in our immigration laws. I understand that the basic proposals of this bill have the support of Representative FRANCIs E. WALTER. of Pennsylvania. chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee. Indeed many of the proposals are similar to his H. R. 8123. It is important to remember that all of us except fullblooded American Indians are either immigrants or the descendants of immigrants. The United States has a tradition of offering sanctuary to the oppressed. Immigration has helped to build America. Each immigrant is not only a jobholder. but he and his family are consumers who buy goods and services and otherwise contribute to our economic system. While our country has grown by 25 million people in the last 10 years. only about 2.770.000 immigrants have entered the country. Immigration thus plays a very minor role in our continued population growth. Our population growth has had a beneficial rather than a depressing effect on our employment and economy. Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent to place in the Appendix of the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD an excellent article by Jalmar Johnson. the associate editor of the Oregonian. of Portland. which appeared in his paper on August 10. 1957. on the need for revision of our immigration laws.