Speech #870246884

Mr. Speaker. all of us are the products of immigrant forefathers. Hundreds of thousands of Americans go abroad in a year on a sentimental journey to visit distant relatives and ancestral homes in the old country. We have a special understanding and sympathy. unique among the nations of the world. for those in other countries whose greatest ambition in life is to become citizens of the United States. Our sincere desire to help them reach this goal is blocked by the outdated laws that control immigration. "But you cannot open the doors to everyone who wants to come to the United States" some people say. "There would be neither Jobs nor homes for them. If tens of millions of people streamed into the United States in a given year. the confusion and chaos would be indescribable. Everyone would suffer." Even firstgeneration Americans realize that there must be some control over immigration. If the general public knew more about the Immigration and Nationality Act. however. they would insist upon a major overhaul and modernization of its provisions. Their opposition would concentrate on the quota system. a formula that was devised 40 years ago to give preferential consideration and encouragement to immigrants from some countries. while practically closing the door to people in other countries who have their hearts set on coming to the United States. The quota system was artificially contrived and unfair when it was adopted. and it is more so today because the United States and the rest of the world are far different than they were In the early 1920s. Furthermore. the quotas for some countries are never filled. but the quotas for others are oversubscribed. with long lines of applicants waiting and hoping for a chance to move up and become eligible for a permanent visa. And yet. no effort is made to transfer unused quotas to the credit of oversubscribed quotas. With the exception of emergency legislation after World War II. to make room for limited numbers of displaced persons and refugees. our immigration laws have remained rigid and unrealistic. An effort was made to remedy the forced separation of close relatives. but this became a victim of statistics and timetables. The 1959 amendment provided for the nonquota admission of fourthpreference applicants who were registered on consular waiting lists prior to December 31. 1953. and for whom petitions were approved by the Attorney General.