Speech #900260180

Mr. President. the Immigration Reform Act of 1965 imposed. for the first time. a numerical limitation on the number of immigrants who would be allowed to enter this country from the Western Hemisphere. Because of our special relationship with our PanAmerican neighbors. a policy of free immigration had existed. which will end when the new quota goes into effect on July 1. Beginning next month. only 120.000 such immigrants will be admitted each year. I opposed the imposition of these quotas. and was particularly distressed to learn that Cuban political refugees will be included in the overall limitation. Mr. President. I certainly did not favor this restriction. It was one of the prices we paid for getting the bill. The Select Commission on Western Hemisphere Immigration recently pointed out that Cubans are being admitted to this country at the rate of approximately 40.000 a year. thus charging them to the quota will effectively reduce the allotment by onethird. As one who was a member of the Judiciary Committee at the time. I can state that Congress did not contemplate the extent of Cuban immigration at the time this bill was considered. for the Cuban Government did not liberalize its exit policy until after the bill had been passed. Certainly we did not intend that fully onethird of this quota should go to a single small country. but neither would we want to bar the Cubans who are essentially political refugees. Accordingly. I introduce. for appropriate reference. a bill recommended by the Select Commission on Western Hemisphere Immigration to provide that Cuban immigrants be admitted without being charged to the quota.