Speech #870181306

Mr. President. I introduce. for appropriate reference. a bill providing nonquota immigrant status. and consequent immediate admission to this country. for those brothers. sisters. married sons and married daughters of U.S. citizens who are eligible for immigration under the quota system on the basis of petitions filed with the Attorney General before July 1. 1961. Under the present immigration law. the quota allotted to each country is divided into the following categories: 50 percent of the quota goes to those with urgently required skills. 30 percent goes to the parents and unmarried sons and daughters of American citizens. 20 percent goes to the spouses and unmarried sons and daughters of aliens residing in the United States. Finally. any visas not required for the first three groups go to a fourth class which consists of the brothers. sisters. and married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. Since the first three quota classes are almost invariably filled. an enormous backlog of prospective immigrants in the fourth class has built up in recent years. We may say that this group of brothers and sisters and sons and daughters of American citizens are the forgotten persons of our immigration policy. At this moment there are 137.000 Italian applicants. who have American families. waiting vainly for quota places that will never become available unless we change the law. In the same situation. there are almost 10.000 Poles. 6.300 Greeks. 2.000 Yugoslavs. and thousands of refugees from Iron Curtain countries who are desperately anxious to come to this country and join their families. Indeed. there are waiting lists of brothers. sisters. and married sons and daughters of American citizens waiting for immigration to this country in every quota area in the world. All of these who are otherwise qualified would be admitted under my bill. There is a precedent for the policy of granting nonquota status to a large backlog of prospective immigrants. Under Public Law 87301. which was signed by the President on September 26. 1961. nonquota status was granted to those in the second and third classes I described earlier. who were eligible for quota visas on the basis of petitions filed with the Attorney General prior to July 1. 1961. The present bill would in effect simply extend this nonquota status to the fourth class. The incredible advances of the past generation in transportation and communications have removed many ancient barriers to the uniting of separated families. We must match these advances with an advance in our immigration policy which will remove this last barrier in uniting thousands of American families. This is the third bill I have introduced n recent weeks to open the doors to increased immigration. Underlying all of these bills are three convictions: We owe it to our origins as a nation and to our historic traditions to keep open "the golden door." We owe it to our own future to continue to encourage the transfusion from the Old World to the New of the talents. the insights. the skills. the creative energy. and the vigor of people of other lands. and we owe to our country the confidence and the faith that our expanding American society can continue to absorb and make a welcome place for those who seek to enjoy our blessings and carry our burdens.