Speech #860088937

I would like to address myself for a few moments to the provisions of H.R. 5896. There is much in this bill which is commendable. It reasserts the principle that the reuniting of families should be one of the cornerstones of our immigration policy. To a limited extent. this bill. among other things. does exactly that. The married sons or daughters over 21 years of citizens of the United States are moved from the fourth to the second preference. Married sons or daughters over 21 years of age of lawfully residing aliens are placed in the third preference category. As a result of these changes and others. immigration visas available for the use of fourth preference immigrants are raised from 25 percent to 50 percent. Equally farreaching is the provision of this bill which will give nonquota status to those prospective immigrants whose names appear on the consular waiting list before the date of December 24. 1952. This bill. while a progressive step. by the very limitation of the date imposed tends to defeat one of the most significant purposes of this bill. viz. the reuniting of families. We took similar action in the 85th Congress under Public Law 85316. but there the Congress concerned itself only with the first three preferences and made eligible only those who had been reached prior to 1957. The fourth preference clause was given no consideration therein at all. Hence. we find that in two successive Congresses we have taken a piecemeal approach to solving the heartbreaking problem of families separated by the operation of our immigration laws. To me. it appears wholly logical that if we attack this problem that we attack it whole. that we bring a solution to it that is total. and not step by step. That if the law is to be revised. that it be revised cleanly and precisely without the ragged edges which remain as irritants and prods to our conscience. The cutoff date of 1952. to my mind. fails to meet the problem. Had we used the year 1955. following the expiration of the Refugee Relief Act. or more logically still. the year 1959. we could have disposed of this problem in its entirety. Separated families bring divided hearts and divided homes. Does not logic. therefore. dictate that if we seek the solution. as unquestionably this bill does. that we bring a solution that is totally compatible with our problems?