Speech #890060332

Fifth preference.. 20 percent to brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens. Sixth preference. 20 percent to persons with skills which are found by the Secretary of Labor to be unavailable or in short supply in this country. Seventh preference. 10 percent to refugees from Communist tyranny and oppression with a proviso that up to onehalf of this number may be used by persons who have been offered a temporary refuge in this country upon a finding that they are unable or unwilling to return to their homelands because of persecution or fear thereof. and only after 2 years residence in this country. As an additional precaution to guarantee the inviolability of family unity and to prevent harmful interpretations of law by overzealous bureaucrats. I propose that any immigrant authorized to come to the United States has an absolute right to bring his wife and children. otherwise qualified. with him. Only after the above preferences have been satisfied will visa numbers which remain be made available on a firstcome. firstserved order of registration to nonpreference applicants on a worldwide basis. Within this nonpreference class there is created a reserve. under the direct control of the President. by which he may reallocate up to onehalf the available numbers to nationals of countries who may be adversely affected by the immediate termination of the national origins quota system. For example. In Germany and the United Kingdom where the largest quota allocations are available. there has been no occasion or opportunity for desiring Immigrants to register on a consular waiting list as was necessary for thousands of nationals of countries with heavily oversubscribed quotas. Consequently. in a worldwide competition for nonpreference numbers. such nationals may be unfairly disadvantaged particularly in the years Immediately following the passage of the bill. The Presidents reserve would also be available to increase the number of refugees who could be admitted should a sudden. abnormal refugee situation occur. such as arose in Austria after the 1956 unsuccessful revolt of the Hungarian freedom fighters. or to take care of disaster situations such as occurred in the Azores in 1957 which necessitated special legislation to authorize admission of a number of its victims. Other proposed revisions of the law are: Added protection for American workers by strengthening authority of the Secretary of Labor to make determinations on the specific skills. crafts. and special occupational talents in short supply. and for which there are no able or willing workers in the United States. These added safeguards would apply to all sixth preference and all nonpreference immigrants. Epilepsy would be removed from the mandatorily excludable classes of immigrants. Medical science has demonstrated that epilepsy is not contagious and that it is controllable by medication and medical treatment. An "eligible orphan" is redefined by consolidating three sections of the present law which have caused confusion in determining eligibility. The requirement that aliens from the countries behind the Iron Curtain demonstrate fear of "physical" persecution in order to stay deportation is removed. Removal of the term "physical" recognizes that the more subtle. mental. moral. and emotional sanctions imposed upon the captive citizens by totalitarian regimes are no less a basis for our refusal to return these people to their native lands and to such oppressions. Alien crewmen are accorded the same treatment as all other aliens under suspension of deportation proceedings. and under certain conditions adjustment of status procedure. Any alien who entered the United States prior to December 24. 1952. who has resided here since and is of good character may be granted the status of a permanent resident. This has the effect of a limited statute of limitation against deportation. To summarize. these would be the major outcomes of the selective immigration program I have proposed: First. All present first. second. third. and fourth preference waiting lists would be wiped out during the first year of operations. The only exception is the fourth preference waiting list in Italy which is now in excess of 100.000 and that will take more time to satisfy.