Speech #890146038

Mr. Speaker. the Immigration Act now before the Congress represents a welcome change in U.S. immigration policy by removing the obnoxious and discriminatory system of national quotas. I will vote for the bill. This bill. however. does in my opinion include one serious error of judgment. By imposing a limitation on immigration from the Western Hemisphere it threatens to end the historic free flow of immigrants across the U.S. boundaries with Canada and Mexico. When the bill was first before the House. I joined with my colleagues to defeat a proposed amendment to place a limit on immigration into the United States from the Western Hemisphere. I did so for two reasons: First. representatives of the administration had led many of us to believe that in their judgment imposition of such a limitation at this time would seriously impair U.S. relations with Latin America. and second. I was concerned that such a limitation might seriously reduce the free flow of emigration to this country from Canada and Mexico. In the Senate an annual limitation of 120.000 immigrants from the Western Hemisphere was placed in the bill after assurances from the President that he did not oppose the provision. Those assurances help to satisfy my first area of concern over this provision. Nonetheless I remain disturbed by the possibility that the annual limitation on Western Hemisphere emigration to the United States may affect our relations with our only contiguous neighbors. Canada and Mexico. During fiscal year 1964. 139.284 persons. including spouses and children. emigrated from Western Hemisphere countries to the United States. Over half of these came from our immediate neighbors38.074 from Canada and 32.967 from Mexico. If the rate of Western Hemisphere emigration to the United States remains at this level. or as is more likely increases. and if the. bill is administered on a firstcomefirstserve basis. there is no assurance whatsoever that Canada and Mexico emigration to the United States will not be affected. I am sympathetic to the proposition that if regional immigration quotas are assigned to the rest of the world. they should also be assigned to the Western Hemisphere. for there is no inherent difference between these nations and others. There is. however. one vital distinction between Canada and Mexico and all the other nations of the world. They are the only two countries which border directly on the United Statesand in my opinion fully free and unlimited immigration between the United States and its immediate neighbors should be maintained. Nine of my colleagues joined me in a statement on United StatesCanadian relations last Monday which proposed that United StatesCanadian Immigration remain unlimited. except for the reasonable qualifications of financial responsibility and good moral character. Mr. Speaker. because this is a bill from conference. and the House does not have the option of amending it. and because in balance it is a progressive step in U.S. immigration policy. I shall vote for the bill. But I hope that the Select Commission on Immigration from the Western Hemisphere. which this bill establishes. will give every serious consideration to recommendations to leave Canadian and Mexican emigration to the United States unlimited. The Select Commission must report to the Congress with its recommendations fully 6 months before the limitation on Western Hemisphere immigration is scheduled to become effective in June of 1968. I have every confidence that the President. the President of the Senate. and the Speaker of the House of Representatives in making their appointments to the Select Commission will assure consideration of U.S. immigration policy toward Canada and Mexico. and that thereby we can rectify the shortcomings of this bill so as to preserve the closest and the most productive relations possible with our Canadian and Mexican neighbors.