Mr. Speaker. one of the more notable accomplishments of the recent Congress was in the field of immigration. The bill which Congress passed has now become Public Law 363part of the immigration code of the land. I should like to point the deserving finger of recognition at Representative FRANCIS WALTER. of Pennsylvania. for the long and arduous work he put in on this bill. Compliments are in order also for Representative CELLER. of New York. who was instrumental in getting the bill out on the House floor and for Senator PASTORE. of Rhode Island. who assisted in the improving amendments added in the Senate. However. the most commendable aspect of all is that this act has written into the impersonal objectivity of our immigration laws the essence of the great American spirit. In short. a place has been made for the human element. A statement made on the floor during the debate on this bill hit exactly the right note: This measure firmly reasserts the principle that the reuniting of families shall be one of the basic and permanent cornerstones of our immigration policy. By passing this bill we show once again that America. even though she operates through the cold quotas and figures of the Immigration and Nationality Act. is willing to change those figures where human suffering is at stake. We demonstrate that. In the final analysis. our democratic feelings shape our decisions.
Keywords matched
Immigration immigration