Speech #890307285

Mr. Speaker. on October 3. the anniversary of the enactment of the Immigration Act of 1965. I spoke on the accomplishments under that legislation in the first 7 months of its operation. As I indicated at the time. most of my data were from the annual report of the Visa Office of the Department of State. which was then in the process of publication. The report has now been distributed. I have read it with great interest and I think it only fitting there be a public recognition of a job so very well done. The Director of the Visa Office. Mr. J. Raymond Ylitalo. his staff. and the many hundreds of Foreign Service officers and employees engaged in visa work stationed around the world. are to be commended. The report presents an impressive picture of smooth and early implementation of our immigration reform legislation. It is readily apparent that this report. which reflects real achievement. is the result of outstanding dedication to duty and sustained work effort. In addition to the informative statistics. the report includes a conscientious and highly effective effort to summarize the meaning of the statistical tables. It provides an objective analysis of what our laws say and what effect they have. I should like to commend to your particular attention. therefore. a few of the morestriking aspects of this work. The graph on immigration from the Eastern and Western Hemispheres for the past 5 years on page 9. while interesting in itself. is rendered even more meaningful when studied in conjunction with tables III and IV which show the changes in immigration from those areas after December 1. 1965. Table IT. which shows comparative issuance within fiscal year 1966 under prior legislation and under the recent amendments by category of applicants. highlights the fulfillment of our desire to reunite families as quickly as possible. The narrative explaining the visa function should be as usefully interesting to students and other laymen as the summarization of the effect of the major provisions of the Immigration Act of 1965 which I included in my remarks on October 3. Even for those of us with more intimate knowledge of our immigration laws. the comparison outlines of numerical limitation systems and geographic distinctions in appendixes A and B are extremely useful and concise reference materials. The graph on page 10 showing the steady climb in issuance to applicants most affected by the amended section 212(a) (14) should be a reassurance to the early critics of this provision and reflects credit on the Labor Department for the manner in which the provision is being administered. Finally. although this area of the visa function was not markedly affected by last years legislation. the nonimmigrant report. particularly the 10year table beginning on page 71. is of especial significance in this era of emphasis on travel facilitation and the effect of tourism on the balance of payments. I have touched on only a few of the reasons this annual report of the Visa Office is so interesting and valuable a tool in our continuing consideration of immigration policy and legislation. I would urge its serious study by all Members of this body.