Speech #900305980

Mr. Speaker. approximately 40 members of this House have introduced legislation designed to remove unanticipated inequities resulting from the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. I am one of the Members who sponsored such legislation and our simple objective is to erase these inequities by establishing a floor under the immigration levels from every nation. The bills we have sponsored provide for a floor to be established for every nation based upon its average level of immigration to the United States during the decade prior to the enactment of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. The basic problem of the act of 1965 with respect to Irish immigration results from an apparent miscalculation of the State Department in its projections of future immigration. The State Department had estimated that 5.200 places would be available to immigrants from Ireland. The facts conclusively demonstrate that State Department projections were wide of the mark. In contrast to the 5.200 places projected by the State Department. Irish immigration dropped to only 1.800 in 1966 and in 1967 with estimates that Irish preference immigration next year will be only about 600. The present immigration act establishes a system of preferences based on family relationships and skills. However. the family relationship preferences operate adversely to the historical pattern of Irish immigration. Thus. out of 1.904 visas issued in Ireland between December 1. 1965. and March 31. 1967. only 499 were of the family preference kind and 435 of these were for brothers and sisters of American citizens. This results from the fact that the pattern of Irish immigration has been for a few brothers and sisters to emigrate at a time while others remained behind. Typically the Irish emigrant has been young and unmarried and consequently brought with him no spouse or children. As a result of this pattern. Ireland is unable to compete equally with other nationalities for family preferences. The vast contributions of the Irish immigrant to our economy and to our culture are too well established to warrant elaboration here. From 1963 to 1967. approximately 70.000 people. average 17.400 annually. have emigrated from Ireland to other parts of the world. In 1965. 5.558 Irish immigrants came to the United States in the last year of open Irish immigration to the United States. In 1966. only 1.741 Irish immigrants landed here although 4.275 made application to do so. Those of us in this House who are joined in equalizing the application of the law of 1965 propose simply that a floor be established equal to 75 percent of a countrys average annual immigration during the 10year period from 1955 to 1965. with a maximum floor limit of 10.000 for any country. In relation to Ireland. such a formula would establish the annual limit at 5.390. The present immigration law is manifestly unfair to the Irish whose sons and daughters have contributed so much and so valiantly to the strength and wealth of our Nation. It will take but very little to substitute for the existing inequity a fair. just. and equitable immigration policy toward all nationalities. I urge that we take necessary action immediately to remove those inequities.