Speech #900304435

From the American War for Independence to today men of Italian blood have served with valor and honor in the defense of the principles which brought their forebears to these shores. In politics. government. the arts. science. music. businessin every profession and occupationAmericans with fine Italian names play a distinguished role. The superb record of the men and women who migrated from Italy and from every quarter of the globe in building our great Nation was recognized in the reforms written into our immigration policy in 1965. It was my honor to sponsor the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 which replaced the infamous national origins quota system with a policy more consonant with our democratic principles. Instead of the archaic. selfdefeating and discriminatory national origins system. emphasis was laid on the humanitarian policy of reunifications of families and the pragmatic policy of obtaining skills beneficial to our Nation. Under this landmark act countless numbers of families have been reunited but unfortunately a few nations which had unreasonably low quotas under the old system still have huge backlogs of visa applications from brothers and sisters of citizens. In the case of Italy. there are over 100.000 on the waiting list. many dating as far back as 1955. Many of our colleagues. Mr. Speaker. have. as I do. relatives or constituents who have looked forward for years to a reunion with loved ones. Their hopes were raised by the enactment of the new act only to be crumbled again by the impossibility of cleaning up the backlog of applications that have accumulated under the national origins quota system. In order to allay this distressing situation. I have introduced legislation to admit outside of any quota limitations the brothers and sisters of citizens who -are beneficiaries of petitions filed prior to December 1. 1965. My proposal is surely in the spirit of the 1965 reform law and will carry forward more effectively its promise of equal consideration and justice for all persons seeking admission to our land. Let us perfect the policy which governs the oldest theme in our Nations history. the history of a nation of immigrants. from the arrival of Columbus until today. All Americanswhether first or sixth generationare grateful for the privilege of living here. are proud of the country that is our magnificent heritage. and proud. too. of the ancestral lands we claim. America. despite the defects and injustices that mar our society. is still the best hope of the world. still beckons men and women possessing the courage. faith and strength exemplified by Columbus who seek new horizons. new opportunities.