Speech #890139599

Mr. President. my amendment would not affect the application of the bill to the increased immigration prior to June 30. 1968. It is my understanding that there is a backlog of immigrant applications which should be taken care of. I understand from the distinguished Senator from Massachusetts . the Senator in charge of the bill. that it is anticipated that after 3 years the backlogs of impending immigrants will be eliminated in all instances except for one category of Italians. and that the situation will be rectified shortly thereafter. So during the next 3 years. the backlog of immigrants can be substantially cleaned Up. I believe we ought to focus our attention on what will happen after that. What will happen on July 1. 1968? My amendment is concerned with what will happen after that date. I am aware of how complicated the whole subject of immigration is. Much confusion exists with respect to it. There are quota immigrants. there are nonquota immigrants. and there are specially exempt categories. If one tries to concern himself with these groups. he may end by seeing only the trees. and not seeing the forest. I believe we ought to be concerned with the forest. namely. the total number of immigrants. regardless of their quality. whether they are called quota. nonquota. or exempt categories. The question should be. How many immigrants are coming into the United States. and how many will be coming into the United States? The national origins policy which has existed for many years leaves much to be desired. Probably the principal thrust of the bill Is to do away with the national origins policy and to treat all people alike. regardless of the country from which they come. so long as they can satisfy the category requirements provided in the bill. My amendment has nothing to do with that. It has only to do with the total number of Immigrants that will be coming into the United States starting on July 1. 1968. The record shows that in 1960. the total number of immigrants into the United States was 265.000. in 1961. 271.000. in 1962. 283.000. in 1963. 306.000. and in 1964. 292.000. To all intents and purposes. it appears that the bill provides for 290.000 immigrants. 170.000 from the world at large and 120.000 from the Western Hemisphere. But the bill goes further: It provides for certain exempt categories in addition to the 290.000. According to the record it is estimated that over and above the 290.000. we can expect 50.000. 60.000. or 70.000 more immigrants a year. No one Knows with certainty what the number in the exempt categories will amount to. But as I recall. the Attorney General estimated that 62.500 more immigrants a year would come in starting on July 1. 1968. than are coming in now. With respect to the confusion to which I referred earlier. considerable point has been made concerning the present annual quotas which some countries have and how low they are. For example. Greece has been mentioned as having an annual quota for 1964 of only 849. However. the record should show. so that the people will know exactly what is taking place. that while 849 quota Immigrants were authorized for Greece in 1964. there were 3.060 nonquota immigrants admitted from Greece. This Immigration was entirely legal but was in addition to the regular quota. There are other examples. Last year. Italy was authorized 5.950 immigrants. yet 7.295 nonquota immigrants were admitted over and above the quota immigrants. So perhaps the way the present program has been working. so far as certain countries are concerned. there may not be so much hardship as the plain quota figures would Indicate. The total number of persons who have been legally admitted is what really counts. To return to my amendment. it seems to me that if the policy cf Congress is to do away with the national origins system and at the same time preserve the total number of immigrants at about the same rate at which they have been admitted during the last few years. the target ought to be somewhere around 290.000 to 300.000. Assuming that the target is 290.000. I have left the figures of 170.000 and 120.000 undisturbed. but my amendment provides that the 170.000 quota immigrants for the world at large shall be reduced by the number of special immigrants who are exempted under the bill. and that after the 170.000 is reduced by the number of special immigrants who are admitted into the United States. the remainder would be quota immigrants. My amendment Is not intended to reduce the 120.000 total number of immigrants. The intention is to retain the 170.000 figure and to start by taking the exempt categories off the top. Then. after they have been admitted. we shall know how many quota immigrants can be taken in. If the exempt categories amounted to 10.000 immigrants in 1 year. we would have 160.000 quota immigrants. If the exempt categories amounted to 20.000. we would have 150.000 quota immigrants. There is no intention of reducing the number of immigrants in any one year below 290.000170.000 from the world at large and 120.000 from Latin America. On the other hand. if it is the intention of the administration and the policy of Congress not only to do away with the national origins system. but also to increase the total number of immigrants coming into the United States by 50.000. 60.000. or 70.000 a year. starting on July 1. 1968. then my amendment should be rejected and the bill should be passed In its present form. Mr. President.