Speech #890091818

This will be the first fair of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. On June 21. I made a speech in this House in which I served notice that I would initiate action to call the attention of the Nation to the contributions made by the immigrants from across our southern border. On the same day I introduced the HemisFair bill. H.R. 9247. providing for a planning study to be set up in the Department of Commerce to determine the extent to which the United States shall participate at the exposition. This study. which I hope will be authorized this year. can include an inquiry into a monument dedicated to the Mexican immigrant. Possibly. the U.S. pavilion may be built so that it can serve the dual purpose of the Federal HemisFair exhibit and the immigration monument. If it is determined that additional legislation is needed. I will introduce it. The full story of the Mexican immigrant has never been told. The total for 145 years of Mexican immigration. from 1820 to 1964. is 1.326.370. This figure does not include the tens of thousands of persons of Mexican birth or ancestry who were living in the southwest territories at the time they were admitted into the Union as States. Today. the total numbers of persons of Spanish surname in the five Southwest States--Arizona.