Speech #860098008

Practically every proimmigration speech contains reference to these separated families and that we must. in the name of all that is good. liberalize the laws so the families can be reunited. Few of the speeches. if any. tell you how most of the separations came about. It works something like this: Consider any country with an immigration quota to the United States. and remember that quotaimmigrants may not exceed the number assigned by us to that particular country. So one of its citizens wants to come over here for permanent residence. he applies for a visa. and if he meets the necessary health and individual responsibility tests and comes within the quota for the year. the visa is granted. Now suppose the man has a wife and children. He has but one visa and cannot bring his family but he chooses to come alone. There is a separated family. It seems reasonable and logical that the above person might better have applied for visas for his entire family and thus avoided separation but in a great many cases it does not work that way. That would be too limiting. On the contrary it seems almost a plot that heads of families come alonefilling the quotas that waythen depending on the warmth of American hearts and the effectiveness of politicians. etc.. to reunite the families in spite of basic immigration laws and the controlling quotas. In the past. like in the pioneer days of the development of our west. it was understandable that the men folk of the families went forth to make a way for the remainder who would follow. But now things are different. In the first place a quota immigrant is not given a visa until our officials are assured that he has a job. a sponsor. or independent wealth. His economic future is pretty well assured before he leaves his home country. the need for his coming alone has largely been dissipated. Now let us survey some of the facts on immigration. In the year 1958 more than 253.000 immigrants entered the United States for permanent residence. Of these 102.000 were on the basis of quotas. The annual quota for all countries was and still is 154.957. This means nearly 53.000 quotas are unfilled * * * remember this figure as we discuss it later. Unfilled quota countries are largely in northern Europe. with Great Britain using the least of its assigned numbers. Western Hemisphere immigrants are on a nonquota basis except certain Asiatics who must obtain visas charged against the quota allotted to the country of their forebears. In 1958 North and South America contributed 91.827 nonquota immigrants. Subtracting this number from the 253.000odd who ertered we find that 161.438 quota and nonquota immigrants from Europe and Asia joined us in the last year * * * against a quota of about 155.000. Had the quotas been filled our total for 1958 would have been 306.000. What are some of the legislative proposals now being pushed so hard in Congress? Some of the most prominent measures would provide that unused quotas be reallocated on a prorata basis to other countries. This would immediately mean that our immigration would be increased by more than 50.000 annually * * * taking us over the 300.000 figure. But that is not all. Some of the prominent proposals would change the 1920 census base for the national origins quota system to the 1950 census which would mean an increase in the quotas by about 65.000. This. added to the present quota of about 155.000. would total 220.000. So. the two proposals * * * reallocation of unused quotas53.000 * * * and the new quota increase of 65.000. would add 118.000 to the present rate of immigration. or an annual total of 371.000. Now watch this: In addition to the foregoing there is strong urging in Congress that we set up a permanent refugee program to provide for an additional 60.000 per yearover and above the potential 371.000 already discussed. This makes a new total of 431.000. Even this is not enough. Aided by a White House Conference on Refugees. earlier this year which represents the United States part in a "World Refugee Year." it Is urged that Congress provide for an additional 20.000 refugees during the next 2 years. for a grand total of 451.000. The World Refugee Year program is now being propagandized all over the United States. All the proponents of this type legislation point to the need for the United States to do its share in accepting and encouraging the immigration of refugees and those from the overpopulated areas. All claim that it will be for the good of America. economically. srcially. and from a foreign relations point cf view. None appears to worry about our ability to absorb the extra immigration. Population statisticians now estimate that the U.S. population in the year 2000 will be from 330 to 350 million. Presumably that is based on natural growth plus the present immigration flow. The year 2000 is only 41 years ahead. How will the natural resources within our own borders stack up to the needs of that many people?