Speech #880258073

Mr. Speaker. todays New York Times contains a most illuminating news item aptly describing the 1964 Republican platforms immigration plank just as it is. "innocuous to the point of being meaningless." The highly responsible American Immigration and Citizenship Conference has recently asked a group of Republican leaders to repudiate the "discriminatory national origins quota system and other inequities that have such a serious effect on our relationships abroad." This citizens conference is composed of religious. welfare. and labor organizations covering the entire spectrum of American political interests and is understandably concerned about the intolerable immigration laws currently on this Nations lawbooks. I am inserting this news article so that my colleagues may see for themselves how one objective group feels the Republican Party is closing its ears and its eyes to the needs of an oppressed world society. A3872 About 35 religious. welfare. labor. and other organizations interested in immigration and refugee matters have sharply protested the immigration plank in the 1964 Republican platform as being "innocuous to the point of being meaningless." Religious News Service reports. Representatives of the various groups. all members of the American Immigration and Citizenship Conference. sent a statement to Republican leaders in San Francisco calling on them promptly to Issue a forthright statement In support of an American immigration policy that would do away with the discriminatory national origins quota system and correct other inequities in our present law that have such a serious effect on our relationships abroad. The statement was formulated after discussion of the platform plank during a meeting here of the executive committee of the conference. which was formed to promote change of U.S. immigration policy. The platform plank. the statement said. completely avoids the basic issues inherent In our present immigration policy and law." In its platform. the GOP called for "immigration legislation seeking to reunite families and continuation of the fair share refugee program." At this point. I am also including in my remarks testimony I gave before the Immigration Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee on on June 29. I implored the subcommittee to "rectify the Injustice of the present immigration law" by enacting H.R. 7700. Our longrespected position of world leader is greatly diminished in the eyes offor instancethe 104.537 Greeks who are backlogged on a quota list of 308. Let us eliminate the McCarranWalter Act from our code of law and then let us feel we are genuinely attempting to Promote the concept of liberty and justicef or all.