Speech #910014667

Mr. Speaker. as we know. immigration from Ireland has and is declining. I think that every Member of Congress is cognizant of this distressing fact and equally aware that final implementation of the 1965 Amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act may have disadvantaged prospective Irish immigrants and denied them entry visas to the United States. As I have stated on numerous occasions. I want to see the causes for the decline of Irish immigration eliminated and I want to see the changes made as expeditiously as this Congress can move. I introduced legislation in the last Congress which I thought would solve the problem and reoffer Ireland the opportunity to send to the United States her good sons and daughters who have in the past contributed so greatly to our countrys growth and prosperity. Unfortunately. this proposal was discussed but not enacted. On January 6. I reintroduced the legislationH.R. 2118 of the 91st Congress--to provide that the President may reserve up to 50 percent of the unused visa numbers for fiscal year 1968 for reallocation to those countries which found their immigration to the United States drastically reduced by the new law. Furthermore. this bill would make unused numbers available for reallocation. notwithstanding the percountry limitation or the overall ceiling. to preference immigrants on oversubscribed preference lists. The bill would therefore resolve the problem without taking any retrogressive action toward the old system. According to the Department of State. at the end of fiscal year 1968 there were approximately 69.000 visa numbers that were unused. Consequently. any reservation of 50 percent of such numbers would more than adequately meet the demands and needs of Irish immigrants. Similarly. the remainder of the numbers applied to the backlog in the preferences will give Irish immigrants a fairer and more equitable position to compete for preference numbers In the future. I am aware that this approach is subject to some criticism inasmuch as there is a delegation of authority to the executive branch to reserve visa numbers. Although I am of the opinion that this criticism is not warranted and that the executive branch is In the best position to determine how the curtailment in Immigration from any country can be alleviated. I am not wed to such an approach alone. Nevertheless. I want to do something constructive to give the Irish and people from other countries that were traditional sources of immigration to the United States a fair opportunity to immigrate and overcome the objection of the delegation of authority to the Executive. I have therefore prepared new legislation for introduction to eliminate the delegation of authority and make available to countries disadvantaged by the