Mr. Speaker. I rise today. as I have in every Congress since 1958. to plead for reform of our antiquated. demeaning and prejudicial immigration law. It would be bromidic to say reform is overdue. only once have we effected any drastic changes in our 40yearold immigration policy. and that was 13 years ago. The last Congress did not pass a major piece of immigration legislation. We continue on our indifferent course. although the foundation of the Immigration and Nationality Act betrays our national and international aspirations. We are. perhaps more than any country. a Nation of immigrants. People of all landsmore than 41 million of themestablished. sustained and fulfilled the United States. All aspects of our national lifepolitics. religion. commerce and the artshave been molded by this. the greatest folkmigration in history. America has done much for the immigrant. The immigrant has done even more for America. Yet we adhere to a blatantly discriminatory immigration policy that evaluates human beings not on the basis of what they are. but where they were born. Our policy resembles nothing so much as a national real estate covenant. It is something we tacitly enjoy. but prefer not to discuss.
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