Mr. President. I have joined the list of cosponsors of the immigration bill introduced on January 7 by the distinguished junior Senator from Michigan . with more optimism than ever before. For years. there have been introduced bills which would somewhat liberalize the McCarranWalter Immigration and Nationality Act. but they have never made any progress. Hence. we have had to work out stopgap legislation to correct certain glaring deficiencies. One reason for this is that the weaknesses of the present law have not been dramatically brought to the attention of the American people. Immigration is a field in which change is genuinely feared by a great many people. But change. as it is written into Senate bill 500. is not at all alarming. once it is understood. The discussion of the issue during the recent campaign. President Kennedys posthumous book. "A Nation of Immigrants." and President Johnsons fine immigration message have all contributed to a new awareness of the need for revision of the immigrant quota system. We have set an annual quota of approximately 158.000 immigrants. For many years it has been American policy. written into the law. to discriminate against Asians and southern Europeans who wish to come to the United States to live. by allotting to them unreasonably small portions of this quota. But our law has abundant restrictions applying to all immigrants. to insure that their health. moral standards. and financial security are above reproach. We could. therefore. allocate the quota by criteria other than nationality. without weakening in any way our protection against unwelcome persons. We do not want people to come here from any country if they will go on relief or if they might endanger our national security.
Identified stereotypes
Generalization that immigrants might go on relief or endanger national security.