Speech #890138049

No longer will the place of a mans birth determine whether he has a place in America. There is one provision of this bill. however. that is in my judgment a serious mistake. The bill would put a ceiling on immigration from the Western Hemisphere. roughly equivalent to the present rate. Three years from now. the question of immigration from the Western Hemisphere would be reexamined. This provision would impose a statutory limit on immigration from Latin America and Canada for the first time in our history. Even in 1920 and 1924. when the national origins system sharply limited immigration from the rest of the world. the Congress recognized the special relationship between the United States and our neighbors to the north and south. and refused to place a flat numerical limitation on immigration from the Western Hemisphere. This provision ignores that history. and that special relationship. In a world which Is searching for increased cooperation and closeness between nations. the relationship of the United States with Canada and Latin America could serve as a goal and a model for others. We should not go backward now. Placing a statutory limit on immigration in the Western Hemisphere. is. moreover. without any affirmative benefit. The strict requirements of our law with regard to literacy. health. and ability to support oneself without displacing American workers. insure that no more immigrants will come here from the Western Hemisphere than can be reasonably absorbed. Congress did not at that time regard this far greater volume of immigration as anything but a benefit to the United States. Now. with a population twice as great. and a gross national product more than seven times as great. we are saying by this provision that we are fearful of immigration from the Western Hemisphere. Our relationship with Canada and Latin America is unique in the world. In our relationship with Latin America in particular. we are engaged in a great experiment to see whether the societies which are rich and free can help those who are less free and poor. and to live in a world society in peace and harmony.