Speech #870005052

For example. Italys quota would be increased by 252 percent. and Greeces by 846 percent. No more important service could be performed in the name of justice. humanity and our own national selfinterest than substantial revision of our immigration statutes. The bills we offer are a most reasonable and realistic program which would remove glaring inequities and shortcomings in our present laws. We must never forget that the world watches closely to see what this country does with regard to helping immigrants. just as it follows closely what we do in the field of civil rights. In our view. reform of the immigration laws is an integral part of our responsibility as leader of the free world. It is essential if we are to remove the black eye we receive abroad because of the discriminatory nature of the present statutes. It is also vital if we are to remain true to our proud national heritage of offering haven for the worlds homeless and oppressed. No fundamental revision in this field would be complete without a refugeeescapee provision which indicates by its very adequacy that we will not abandon opponents of communism and other forms of totalitarianism. We can hold out the bright hope for the worlds homeless that at least some of them can find a haven in our land. by means of these proposed reforms. In addition. our immigration proposals recognize the fact of life that we are living under a 1960 census. not the outdated figures of 1920. This provision and that providing for the reallocation of unused quotas to oversubscribed countries would go a long way in improving the unjust. inequitable and hopelessly archaic national origins quota system. Progress in this area is the most urgently needed revision. Enactment of legislation such as we have proposed would strike a tremendous blow for American prestige the world over. It would be of immeasurable assistance in the conduct of our foreign relations and would improve substantially our position in the struggle for peace. Finally. these changes in the immigration laws would permit America to remain true to its proud traditions by proving to a watching world that we care and care deeply about the plight of humanity and are prepared to do our part to alleviate this suffering. Mr. President. so far as my action is concerned. I wish to emphasize it is in pursuance of a pledge which I made on the floor of the Senate. which I intend to honor. The pledge was that I shall not sit by again at the point of a legislative gun and let a general immigration bill of a very limited character go through the Senate without seeking to do something fundamental about the immigration laws. Mr. President. I am introducing the measure now to give clear notice of what I have in mind. I am fully cognizant of the fact that the effort to get a just immigration policy may result in 1.500. 1.700. or 2.000 very deserving immigrants from some particular place or other suffering seemingly a temporary hardshipthat was the type of bill we had with respect to the Azores. which made a special exception. which was the only bill permitted to be passed in the last session. Mr. President. we have to call an end to that kind of thing. because our national policy simply cannot stand for this limited way of approaching what must be done on immigration. Mr. President. the immigration laws of the United States are one of the worst refutations against us when we say we want an open society and an open world. They represent a closed society and a closed world. The laws discriminate against Asiatics and against Negroes. They allow thousands of quota numbers to go unused. They give relatively minuscule quotas to countries such as Italy and Greece. in regard to which there is the greatest need for a just immigration policy. Nobody is suggesting that we should be inundated with immigrants. but we are suggesting that the United States take its fair share of immigrants in a working and just world. As an example. Mr. President. over the past 6 years only 62 percent of the potential U.S. quota has been used. Why? One reason is because for immigration quotas we are using the 1920 census. though we have had censuses every 10 years up until 1960. This tends to depress and to distort the immigration quotas. There is a minuscule quota of 100 for the socalled Pacific triangle. excluding those who have an Asiatic background to the extent of 50 percent. which is an unheard of provision under the Constitution of the United States and under the attitudes of the American people. Mr. President. it is a time to bring an end to the procedure we have followed. The only way to bring an end to it is to stop being put upon by the idea that we can pass only one particular immigration bill and that if a Senator suggests any amendments the bill will be withdrawn or will be defeated. or will get nowhere in the other body. It is time to have a showdown. I propose we shall have it.