Speech #890136523

Moreover. Mr. President. it was not our intention. nor that of the AFLCIO. that all intending immigrants must undergo an employment analysis of great detail that could be time consuming and disruptive to the normal flow of immigration. We know that the Department of Labor maintains statistics on occupations. skills. and labor in short supply in this country. Naturally. then. any applicant for admission who falls within the categories should not have to wait for a detailed study by the Labor Department before his certificate is issued. On the other hand. there will be cases where the Secretary will be expected to ascertain in some detail the need for the immigrant in this country under the provisions of the law. In any event we would expect the Secretary of Labor to devise workable rules and regulations by which he could carry out his responsibilities under the law without unduly interrupting or delaying immigration to this country. The function of the Secretary is to increase the quality of immigration. not to diminish it below levels authorized by law. The final major change brought about by this legislation affects the nations of the Western Hemisphere. The bill will modify the current nonquota status of these nations by placing a ceiling of 120.000 on the entire hemisphere. exclusive of parents. spouses. and children. This ceiling. effective July 1. 1968. will place no numerical limit on any one country. however. nor will it incorporate the preference system in force for the rest of the world. The bill also creates a Select Commission on Western Hemisphere Immigration. This Commission will conduct a complete study of the demographic. economic. and social changes underway in this hemisphere and draw conclusions pertinent to our immigration policy. The Commission will make its first report to the President and the Congress by July 1. 19.67. and its final report by January 15. 1968. Mr. President. there are other amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act in this important bill. Some are of a technical nature. causing the law to conform to the basic change in our policy. others are more substantive. For example. the newly independent nations of Jamaica and TrinidadTobago are included within the definition of the Western Hemisphere by a change in the definition of the Western Hemisphere to include any independent foreign country in this hemisphere.