Speech #890120742

Chairman. I supported the minority additional views with some hesitation. I hesitated particularly because the Secretary of State testified in the committee in opposition to placing any ceiling on Western Hemisphere immigration. However. I do not think the mere fact that he presented his testimony bars this Congress from defining and setting forth immigration policy. We are setting forth policy with regard to the establishment of a ceiling on the rest of the world. and it seems to me that we should set a similar policy with regard to the Western Hemisphere as well. I question seriously that it is the best thing insofar as our foreign relations and our diplomacy is concerned to shove this issue aside and say that we are going to look at this question next year or the year after or wait for a message from the President to the effect that a 10percent increase in immigration has occurred from the Western Hemisphere over that which we had during the past 5 years. It seems to me from the standpoint of good international relations that it would be well for us in enacting a comprehensive revision of our immigration laws and of our immigration policy to decide this issue here and now. It has been suggested that perhaps the administration of this law can take care of the increased immigration from South and Central America. I am opposed to any such policy that would relinquish our legislative responsibility in favor of a policy of administrative slowdown to be handled by the consular officers and other persons. That is a responsibility which we have as Members of Congress.