Speech #890120978

What will your amendment. Mr. MACGREGOR. do to Canadian immigration?" The answer is. Absolutely nothing. I say that because the 20.000percountry limitation which will apply to the United Kingdom and to the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Italy and to all other countries across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans will not apply under my amendment to Canada. to Mexico. or to any other country of this hemisphere. Third. I have recognized the appeal of the Secretary of State by giving favored treatment to the Western Hemisphere countries in a third respect. No immigrant from any Western Hemisphere country will be obliged to meet any of the preference requirements that govern immigration from all countries external to the Western Hemisphere. The record is clear. Outstanding experts in the executive branch of the Government say that we are going to have to limit immigration from the Western Hemisphere at some time in the near future. Obviously it ought to be done now consonant with the overall objectives of eliminating discrimination based upon national origin and geographic location. If a numerical ceiling has merit for our historical friends across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans why in thunder does it not have sense and logic for this hemisphere? I point out to you that the ceiling which I propose for the Western Hemisphere is more generous to those countries than the ceiling recommended by the committee for the rest of the countries of the world. There has been statesmanship in the offering of this amendment. May I say to the members of this Committee that my amendment was adopted on a bipartisan basis in the Subcommittee on Immigration and nationality of the Committee on the Judiciary. Mr. Chairman. while we at this historic time are making this badly needed revision in our immigration laws. while we are striking down 3 years hence the national origins quota system. while we are emphasizing our traditional American interest in the reunification of families. we ought at the same time to extend the policy of nondiscrimination by adopting throughout the world the numerical ceiling concept.