Speech #860088935

I introduced a bill earlier this year. H.R. 5536. which I believe would really solve the problem that is dealt with only in part by section 4. My bill would amend section 12 of Public Law 85316 under which some 29.000 immigrants on the first three preference waiting lists of oversubscribed quota areas were allowed to immigrate to .he United States by May of this year. The effect of my bill would be to allow all aliens within the four preference categories. whose immigration petitions were approved before July 1 of this year. to enter the United States as nonquota immigrants. provided they meet general entrance requirements. This is the simplest and most directand therefore in the long run the easiest and most sensiblemethod of handling the problem of oversubscribed quotas. The bill under consideration is good as far as it goes. But in my opinion it does not go far enough. It would grant nonquota status only to those aliens in the second. third and fourth preference categoriesthat is the close relative groupswho had applied for an immigrant visa prior to December 24. 1952. the effective date of the McCarranWalter Act. The difference between this provision and my bill is that this section does nothing for those aliens who have applied for entry into the United States as permanent residents during the last 6 2 years. The distinction made between aliens registering before and after December 24. 1952. is purely arbitrary. It lacks a good substantial reason. Certainly. by excluding those who registered since that date. we are merely postponing part of a problem which should be handled in its entirety. The difficulties and hardships resulting from oversubscribed quotas would. of course. be best remedied by doing something about the ultimate source of most of our immigration problemsthe national origins quota system. The British quota of 65.361 is never more than half used. while Italy with its quota of 5.666 has a waiting list of 165.000 people who have petitioned to enter the United States. Greece. which has close to 100.000 of its natives petitioning to immigrate into this country. is granted the pitifully small number of 308 immigrant visas a year under the national origins formula. We are not really going to solve our Immigrant visa distribution problem permanently until we have the courage and show the strength necessary to replace the national origins system with one more in line with the needs of this country and of the potential future citizens who wish to take up permanent residence here. In the meantime. I support H.R. 5896with some reluctanceon the theory that half a loaf is better than none.