Speech #880009375

Similar bills were introduced in the House. The continued impressive support for this legislation evidences. I believe. a growing public awareness of the need for immigration reform. and a fastevolving consensus as to the kind of reform that is needed. The President. at his new conference on January 24. added his voice to those who suggest reform. Hopefully. the bill we offer today will become the basis of the administrations immigration proposals. This reform bill is sponsored by Senators on both sides of the aisle. It is aimed at rectifying the shortcomings of our immigration policy described eloquently in the 1960 platform of both the national parties. The Democratic plank on immigration. in pertinent part. reads: We shall adjust our immigration. nationality. and refugee policy to eliminate discrimination and to enable the members of scattered families abroad to be united with relatives already in our midst. The national origins quota system limiting immigration contradicts the founding principles of this Nation. It is inconsistent with our belief in the rights of man. The revision of immigration and nationality laws we seek will implement our belief that enlightened immigration. naturalization. and refugee policies and humane administration of them are important aspects of our foreign policy. The Republican Party plank on immigration policy reads: Immigration has been reduced to the point where It does not provide stimulus to growth that it should. nor are we fulfilling our obligation as a haven for the oppressed. Republican conscience and Republican policy requires thatThe annual number of immigrants we accept be at least doubled. Obsolete immigration laws be amended by abandoning the outdated 1920 census data as a base and substituting the 1960 census. The guidelines of our immigration policy be based upon judgment of the Individual merit of each applicant for admission and citizenship. The enactment of our bill would accomplish a number of highly desirable objectives. First. the 1952 acts wellknown restrictive provisions against immigrants from eastern and southern Europe. its token quotas for Asian countries. and the racist implications of its AsiaPacific triangle clauses have no place in our public policy. Our reform bill would remove the purely arbitrary barriers to immigration on the basis of race and national origin. and would substitute a new formula based on equality and fairplay. The essence of our democratic credo is the dignity of man. Our constant effort to implement fully this credo. and our vigilant protection of Americas heritage. require that our immigration policy be brought in line with the moral and ethical principles upon which our democracy is based. Secondly. the enactment of our bill would set Americas immigration record straight. and update our basic statute to conform more with our actual practice since 1952. Since 1952 over 2.500.000 immigrants have been admitted to this country. most of them now contributing skills and talents to our social and economic growth. This number includes over 750.000 displaced persons. refugees. and escapees. Much progress has also been made In the reunion of families. But this record has not been achieved under the act of 1952. It has been achieved in spite of itthrough a series of special. temporary. immigration enactments circumventing the strictures and the inequities of the basic statute. This list of special enactments is a long onefrom the Refugee Relief Act of 1953 through the act passed in the closing days of the last session to allow several thousand skilled persons and relatives of Americans to enter this country. The cumulative effect of these special enactments has radically revised the pattern of immigration envisioned by the act of 1952. In fact. this legislation has so drastically modified our immigration practice. that the act of 1952 is no longer an accurate measure of American policy. It is easy to understand that our present quota provisions need an overhauling. Of the 1.500.000 quota immigrants authorized during the 1950s. only a million actually entered the United States. However. 1.500.000 nonquota immigrants were admitted during the same period. The special legislation is clear evidence that the act of 1952 has grave shortcomingsthat it is. in fact. unworkable and out of step with reality. The argument Is made that the special measures have brought refinement to our immigration policy. Have they really? I think not. For these efforts stop short of the point where a stable and permanent policy comes into question. Our present quota systems discriminatory provisions continue to generate skepticism relative to Americas practice of democracy. In these anxious times it is important that we bring our basic immigration law into line with our more tolerable practice. and with our traditions and ideals. A third objective of our bill is to facilitate the reunion of families now separated because of inequities in the act of 1952. What could be more humane?