Speech #890119513

Mr. Speaker. as explained by the able gentleman from New York . House Resolution 533 will make in order the consideration of H.R. 2580. an act amending the Immigration and Nationality Act under an open rule. with 5 hours of debate. The committee substitute will be considered as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the 5minute rule. To replace the quota system. a ceiling of 170.000 immigrants per year from nonWestern Hemisphere nations is established. Of this total. no nation may have more than 20.000 places. Exempted from the need to qualify under the requirements placed on these immigrants are parents. spouses. and unmarried minor children of citizens. All others will be accepted on a preference basis which stresses the reuniting of families and the desire to accept professionally qualified individuals such as doctors. scientists. lawyers. artists. and so forth. and other workers skilled and unskilled. whose abilities are needed. This selection system takes effect on July 1. 1968. when the national origins system is abolished. Between the enactment of this bill and July 1. 1968. all unused visas will be placed in a pool to allow immigration from countries with oversubscribed quotas. These pool Immigrants will be selected under the new preference rules and on July 1. 1968. with the end of the national origins system. the pool will be abolished and all immigrants will then enter under the preference lists of this bill. Mr. Speaker. there is no ceiling on immigration from free Western Hemisphere nations and two new countries are added to that totalJamaica and TrinidadTobago. I expect that an amendment will be offered placing a reasonable ceiling. based upon immigration figures on such immigration. Testimony before the Committee on Rules indicated how rapidly this immigration is growing. One witness stated that he expected to see in the near future as many as 200.000 per year if some rea.sonable and fair ceiling is not added. We have placed such a ceiling on our friends in the rest of the world. New labor controls are enacted which apply to all immigrants except relative preference and refugees. The Secretary of Labor. under the language in the bill. will be required to make a finding In the case individually that immigrants will not take a job for which there is a willing American worker nor upset the wage scales in the area. Finally. the bill provides that of the 170.000 immigrants. up to 10.200 may be refugees. Thus continuing our policy of accepting those fleeing oppression by totalitarian governments. My understanding is that the gentleman from Minnesota will offer the amendment I have referred to in connection with the Western Hemisphere to place a maximum ceiling of 115.000 immigrants from these particular Western Hernisphere countries. such ceiling to be exclusive of immediate family members of citizens as is the ceiling for the Eastern Hemisphere. Before the Rules Committee the testimony was rather joint at that time. the three distinguished gentlemen on the Committee on the Judiciary. the gentleman from Ohio . the gentleman from West Virginia . and the gentleman from New York more or less testified jointly.