Speech #890299217

As elected officials. we bear a .special responsibility in insuring that -this prerogative is guaranteed by statute and in fact. Today. thousands of Negro Americans have been registered for the first time in the South. as a direct result of this enforcement legislation. Immigration reform was a major achievement of the 1st session. Since first coming to Congress in 1958. I have sponsored proposals aimed at ridding our immigration laws of the anomalies. inequities. and racist ideology which has traditionally baffled the foreign immigrant. There was Indeed something basically unworthy of the American tradition in clinging to the nationalorigins quota system which discriminated severely against certain countries and. it should be added. crippled our foreign policy. While additional measures are called for to correct some features of the new law. its intent is to offer permanent residence in this country on a fair firstcome. firstserved basis. with preferences granted to those with immediate relatives in the United States. refugees. and persons possessing exceptional artistic or professional skills. The Congress finally enacted a bill. long overdue. establishing a Department of Housing and Urban Development. Approximately 70 percent of our population is now clustered in and around metropolises.