Speech #890119662

Yet. there still is room for those In need of shelter and those in search of freedom. And there is still need for those with skills and talents. The proposed immigration legislation recognizes these standards and these needs while it eliminates arbitrary differentiations which belie the principles on which the United States was founded. Specifically. the major provisions of the amended legislation would accomplish these things: First. It would repeal the national origins quota system. effective July 1. As most of us know. the national origins quota system has produced a deplorable situation. Some countriesmostly in northern and western Europehave large quotas which they hardly come close to filling. while other nations are limited to 100 immigrants and have waiting lists of thousands. Some prospective immigrants. in Japan and Turkey for example. face waiting periods of up to 322 years under present regulations. This certainly indicates more hope than commonsense. Until now.. these surplus quotas have not been transferable. During the 3year transition period from national origins quotas. the surplus would be transferred to an immigration pool to offset the unevennesc of availability of visas under the old law. Second. It would. repeal. effective immediately. the last vestiges of the AsiaPacific triangle concept. The AsiaPacific triangle stands out as grossly discriminatory even within the overall discriminatory legislation. It limits immigration on the basis of racial ancestry from the vast areas of the Far East. This effectively means that most Far Eastern nations with their huge populations have annual U.S. immigration quotas of 100. Immediate repeal will put AsiaPacific triangle applicants on equal footing with others who would immigrate to the United States. Third. New criteria for immigration would replace the national origins quota system. and substitute preference categories with a ceiling limitation of 20.000 immigrants from any 1 country. Total immigration for any 1 year would be 170.000. exclusive of Western Hemisphere and immediate family member immigration. The preference categories stress family unity as their utmost aim. Under these categories. first preference goes to unmarried children of U.S. citizens. second preference. to spouses and children of aliens with permanent residence In the United States. third. to professionals. scientists. and artists. fourth and fifth. to married children and brothers and sisters. respectively. of U.S. citizens. sixth. to those personsskilled or unskilled--capable of filling labor shortages. and last. to refugees from Communist domination or political persecution. It is certain that many gross inconsistencies would be eliminated by this new policy. Perhaps no more will we hear such painful case histories as the one of the naturalized Italian who could import an Irish maid in no time but would have to wait years to bring his mother from Italy. Total immigration will not increase substantially under the newly proposed policy. but it will be more fairly apportioned. No longer will it impose on hopeful citizens the hard choice between citizenship and family unity. No longer will it perpetuate a bigotry and injustice that harms us in the eyes and hearts of the world. No longer will it make a travesty of our laws by making hundreds of thousands seek devious doorway into the United States which bypass our antiquated laws. We have been waiting patiently for a very long time for an enlightened Immigration policy. President Johnson thinks we have found -it in the current legislation. which he has called "a breakthrough for reason. a triumph for justice." Let it not die before enactment. as have all its predecessors. for the patience of many good Americans is wearing thin and the good will of many of our brother nations is waning. August. 24...19.65. The time for change and the opportunity for improvementhas arrived. Let us not ignore it. nor those many worthy immigrants who would make their homes among us. We can offer a warm handinstead of a cold shoulder. Let us make that change now.