Speech #890121795

Mr. Speaker. on yesterday. August 25. 1965. during the debate of H.R. 2580the immigration billI spoke on the MacGregor amendment 21950urging its adoption. Mr. Speaker. at the conclusion of my speech I had fully intended to include as a part thereof two editorials. one quoting from the New York Times of July 17. 1965. and the other from the Christian Science Monitor under date of August 17. 1965. Both of these splendidly written documents have very capably. succinctly. and efficiently stated the case as to just why Latin American countries should be covered under the socalled worldwide ceiling on the number of immigrants permitted to come into the United States yearly. The New York Times hit the bulls eye right on the pupil when it said: While the entire law is being overhauled. it would be better to place all the nations of the world. including those to the south of the United States. on exactly the same footing. The Christian Science Monitor said. among other things. that: Administration opposition centered on the claim that to impose such a limit would endanger diplomatic relations with several Latin American States. This seems like an inadequate excuse for several reasons. We find it hard to believe that any government believes its citizens have a right per se to migrate to any other country. In the second place. certain of the New World lands themselves place high hurdles before many U.S. citizens where immigration is concerned. Thus. Mexico virtually demands that a newcomer. including one from the United States. be financially independent before going to Mexico to live. and there are signs that Canada unofficially discourages immigration of nonwhites. among them American Negroes. This fine newspaper also refuted the argument that unlimited immigration of Jamaicans each year into the United States would not adversely affect our Americanborn Negroes. We here in the Congress have passed civil rights and voting rights in order to help our own nativeborn Negroesand yet. in our exuberance to help and to assist our own colored people. we blindly and unwittingly deprive him of his job rights. by allowing cheap labor in the form of new Jamaican immigrants to arrive and to compete against him. This editorial of the Monitor backs up my own contention that the population of Latin America is growing more rapidly than in any other part of the world. To be exact. as I stated yesterday. the experts have told our Immigration Subcommittee that the present 200 million people residing in this area will increase to over 600 million in less than 35 years. Also the experts have informed our subcommittee that the present world population of 3 billion 300 million people in approximately 30 years will double. reaching 6 billion 600 million people. In 2050 it is estimated to reach 25 billion people.