Speech #890010646

Mr. Speaker. that like me most Members receive many letters each year from constituents who long to be reunited in America with parents who are still living abroad. Under present law. husbands. wives. and children of American citizens may enter the country on a nonquota immigrant basis. But for some unexplained reason parents of citizens are not given nonquota status. They must wait. often for many years. for a regular quota assignment. My proposal would give to parents the same nonquota status now provided for other members of the immediate family. I think I speak for all Americans when I say that parents. regardless of the age of their children. are still fullfledged and loved members of the family circle. Some opponents of immigration law revision charge that any change will open "the floodgates" to hordes of aliens and inundate the country with unemployables. Nothing could be further from the truth. Presently. the authorized number of quota immigrants is 158.361. My proposal would increase this figure by less than 7.000 or an increase of less than 5 percent. This is certainly not a flood. It is hardly a ripple. Nor will this bill open the country to unemployables. It specifically states that immigrants may qualify for first preference consideration if their services would be "especially advantageous" to the United States. The Attorney General must ascertain. upon consultation with proper Government agencies. that job openings do in fact exist in an individual specialists particular field. My proposal would also continue an existing provision which requires the Attorney General to investigate a petitioners job qualifications before determining his eligibility for first preference. In this regard. the bill would establish an Immigration Board. composed of four Members of Congress and three appointed by the President. to recommend to the Attorney General criteria for admission of skilled specialists and workers whose services are needed by reason of labor shortages in this country. The Board would also study and consult with appropriate Government agencies on all facets of immigration policy. In a recent editorial. Mr. Speaker. the Wall Street Journal made this observation in analyzing proposed changes in our immigration laws: The quota system undeniably leads to a number of anomalies. It turns away qualified applicants from some countries while quotas from others go unused. It can refuse a highly trained and skilled Asian while admitting an unskilled European. which makes it understandably hard to convince the Asian our motives are untouched by prejudice.