Speech #890275992

Mr. Speaker. on July 19. 1966. 1 took the floor to give the Members of the House a preliminary report on the operation of the Immigration Act of 1965. At that time precise figures were not available to demonstrate the dramatic results accomplished by this statute which abolished the national origins quota system and substituted relationships and U.S. need as the bases for immigration selection rather than an immigrants place of birth. I now have the information to make more meaningful the initial comments I made on July 19. During the fiscal year which closed on June 30. 1966. a total of 289.472 aliens were issued immigrant visas. This is 9.260 more than the 280.212 aliens who were documented as immigrants during the preceding fiscal year ending June 30. 1965. I will insert at the conclusion of my remarks a table showing these comparative figures for all countries. Fears recently expressed in certain uninformed quarters that immigration would be curtailed as a result of the new law have thus been demonstrated to be completely false. Included in the figure for the fiscal year just ended were 55.611 relatives of U.S. citizens and resident aliens. and persons with needed talents. who would have been unable to come under the provisions of the earlier law. These immigrants were issued visas in the 7 months between the effective date of the new law on December 1. 1965. and the close of the fiscal year from the pool. which represented the unused visa numbers from fiscal 1965. Under the provisions of law in effect prior to the act of October 3. 1965. immigrant visas unused in any fiscal year were irrevocably lost. More meaningful than the classes of immigrants has been the geographic shift in immigration and the increases in preference visa issuance to nationals of certain countries so greatly in excess of their annual quotas. Thus Italy. with a quota of 5.666 was authorized 20.000 visas. From Portugal. with a quota of 438 annually. 7.712 were documented to come as preference immigrants. To Indians. Japanese. Spanish. and Yugoslavs. with quotas of 100. 185. 250. and 942 respectively. there were issued 2.071. 786. 1.018. and 2.893 visas during the year ending June 30. 1966. No amount of oratorical skill or legislative legerdemain can conceal the fact that to accomplish these changes and still increase overall Immigrant visa issuance by only 9.000. some aliens of a class who previously were able to enter the United States freely and without significant numerical limitations are not now able to obtain immigrant visas. It is true that the persons who do not have sponsoring relatives within the required statutory degree or who do not have needed skills have been subordinated in their desire to enter this country as immigrants. Thus. under the act of October 3. 1965. during the past 7 months and in the years ahead. there will be a basic change in the character of immigration. but not in its volume. reflecting the increasing importance of national welfare as a criterion for selection of our immigrants. With the announcements of proposed changes in the regulations of the Department of Labor recently made by Secretary Wirtz and the availability of an extraquota pool of 84.225 for preference immigrant visas during the current fiscal year. the improvement in our immigration system should be even more marked this year. It is with considerable pride and satisfaction. as the chairman of the subcommittee which authored the act of October 3. 1965. that I make this supplemental report to you on its operations and effect. Under leave granted.