Speech #890137879

Mr. President. I wish to speak briefly on the unfinished business pending before the Senate with relation to amending the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. I am very happy that my colleague. the junior Senator from Massachusetts . is in charge of this bill. and I rise to support him and the committee bringing the legislation before the Senate at this time. Mr. President. throughout our history the men and women who have chosen to immigrate to the United States have contributed vitality. ideas. resourcefulness. enthusiasm. and hard work to the economic. social. political. and cultural growth of our Nation. As President Kennedy so aptly stated. we are a "nation of immigrants." There is scarcely an area of our national life that has not been favorably affected by the work of people from other lands. The homogeneity of American life has been enhanced by the efforts of many groups of heterogeneous people. However. our present immigration law seems to ignore the many valuable contributions which immigrants have made to our national growth. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 was a comprehensive statute which codified a series of previous laws relating to immigration and naturalization. Many of its basic provisions were desirable and have worked effectively for the past 13 years. However. I voted against passage of this measure. and voted to sustain President Trumans veto of it because I felt that it contained certain basic inequities. These inequities have become increasingly apparent with the passage of time. Furthermore. our needs and responsibilties in the field of immigration have changed significantly over the years. Throughout my service as a Member of the U.S. Senate I have sponsored legislation to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make it fairer and more workable. and to eliminate discrimination against any cultural or racial group. On many occasions I have written to the Judiciary Committee in support of legislation to modify the existing law. I am therefore gratified that the committee has reported out this bill.