Speech #890120788

Chairman. I rise in support of H.R. 2580. As the only Member of Congress of Greek descentindeed. as the first nativeborn American of Greek origin ever elected to the Congress of the United Statesthis legislation has special meaning for me for if our immigration law. as it now stands. had been on the statute books 55 years ago. when my father decided to leave Greece to come to the United States. it is highly questionable whether he would have had any realistic chance of immigrating to this country and becoming an American. Mr. Chairman. H.R. 2580 goes a long way to bring right reason to our outdated Immigration lawa law fundamentally out of keeping with American traditions. The new law will repeal the discrimifiatory national origins quota system. It will repeal the AsiaPacific triangle which has too long been an insult to those of oriental ancestry. It will unite families now separated by endless waiting lists for visas. It will bring to our Nation new immigrants whose skills may add so much to our culture and development. This new legislation will do much to improve our posture abroad by showing that we live by our ideals of liberty and individual human dignity. It will make new provisions for refugees fleeing political persecution. Mr. Chairman. this bill opens no floodgates. It is directed at the method of selection of immigrants. not at the number to be allowed into the country. The actual increase in authorized total immigration will be about 2.000 per year over the current number of quota admissions. This bill protects American workingmen and women by requiring the Secretary of Labor to make an affirmative finding that any alien seeking to enter the United States as a worker will not replace or adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers. Mr.