Speech #910019020

Speaker. no action has been taken either in the last Congress or in this Congress. I have taken this special order so that Members on the floor today can make clear the need for action. In 1965. when the new Immigration and Nationality Act was being considered in the Congress. the Department of State assured Congress that under its provisions Ireland would be able to qualify for approximately 5.200 places per year. If the State Department projections had been accurate. it would not be necessary to take remedial action at this late date. However. as immigration statistics for the past 3 years show. that simply has not been the case. In the decade Immediately preceding the adoption of the 1965 act approximately 7.000 Irish emigrated to America each year. Although this average figure had declined somewhat by 1964. the steep decline in Irish immigration which immediately followed the enactment of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act is far below a fair level of immigration. In fiscal year 1966. preference and nonpreference visas issued in Dublinthe only place in Ireland where visas are issuedtotaled only 2.229. In fiscal year 1967. this number dropped to 1.860. In fiscal year 1968. the total was 2.376. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 went fully into effect on July 1. 1968. and from July 1 until December 31. the first half of fiscal year 1969. preference and nonpreference immigration from Ireland plunged. In July. no preference and nonpreference visas were issued to Irish applicants in Dublin. In August. three. in September. one. in October. 24. in November. 31. and in December. 12 were issued. From July 1 to December 31. 1968. only 72 preference and nonpreference visas were issued in Dublin to Irish nationals. Even if the categories of "immediate relative" and "special immigrant" are included. the total number of visas issued in Dublin was only 227. Figures for the first 2 months in calendar year 1969 show no significant advances for Irish immigration. In January. 26 preference and nonpreference visas were issued in Dublin. in February. 20 such visas were approved. That makes a total of 118 preference and nonpreference visas for the first 8 months of fiscal year 1969. Again. even if the categories of "immediate relative" and "special immigrant" are added. only 303 total visas were issued from Dublin for the first 8 months of fiscal year 1969. The statistics I have used refer to visas issued in Dublin because that is the place where Irish residents apply. Visas issued to Irish citizens residing outside of Ireland and adjustments of status are reflected in the tables which I will include at the conclusion of my remarks. Irish immigration. in short. has declined over 70 percent from the average levels of the decade preceding the enactment of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Mr. Speaker. this kind of decline cannot. in the interest of fairness and an equitable immigration policy. be allowed to continue. We must take immediate corrective action to rectify the situation that is responsible for this disproportionate reduction in immigration. Let me turn now to a specific discussion of my bill. H.R. 165. The bill which I have proposed. H.R. 165and which 62 Members of Congress are now supportingmakes sure that no nation would suffer a severe reduction in its level of immigration to the United States as a result of the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. The bill provides that a "floor" would be established for every nation. based on its average level of immigration to the United States during the decade prior to the enactment of the 1965 act that is during the years 1956 through 1965. The floor would in no way be based on the former quota. but only on the actual numbers which came in during these years. The bill provides a floor equivalent to 75 percent of the annual average level of immigration during the 195665 base period. or 10.000 individuals. whichever is less. To the extent that immigration falls below the floor for a given fiscal year. extra numbers of visa spacesabove and independent of the worldwide quotawould be provided the following year. so that total immigration reaches the established floor. I wish to emphasize again that H.R. 165 is not in any way a return to the old national origins quota systemwhich quite properly was abolished in 1965. Under the 1965 act. however. the immigration preferences are drawn in such a way that much of the potential immigration from several Western European countries cannot meet the qualifications of the various categories. particularly those involving labor certification. This is no more equitable than the national origins quota system. which screened out people from sections of the world such as Africa and Asia. In the case of Ireland. which sent an average of 7.000 immigrants during the base period 195665. about 5.300 places. or 75 percent of the base period average. would be established as the "floor" for * Irish immigration. No country whose immigration levels had improved as a result of the 1965 act would be adversely affected. In addition to the system of preferences. the labor certificate requirement of section 212(a)(14) has had the effect of screening out potential new seed immigration. Therefore. H.R. 165 provides that the provisions of section 212 (a)(14) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 shall not apply to immigrants entering under the category established by the bill. Immigrants in the unskilled labor area traditionally have come to America to better their lives and in turn to better our Nation. An unskilled immigrant until December 1965. could enter the United States unless the Secretary of Labor refused to approve his entry into the United States and made a specific finding that there were sufficient workers available at the aliens proposed destination or that the wages and working conditions of workers in the United States would be adversely affected. Under the revised section 212(a) (14). a system which required the Secretary of Labor to demonstrate why an immigrants petition for entry should not be approved was altered to place the burden on the immigrant to demonstrate why his petition for entry should be approved. According to the Department of Labor. immigration accounts for about oneeighth of the annual additions to the total labor force. Moreover. more than 150.000 immigrants in the preference categories can enter the United States each year. free of any labor restrictions. Only the small remainder of immigrants in the third preference. sixth preference and nonpreference categories must comply with section 212(a) (14). The result is that new seed immigration is being eliminated. By exempting intending immigrants who would be eligible under my bill from the labor certification requirement of section 212(a) (14). many more young immigrants would be able to take advantage of available visa spaces. permitting the continuance of new seed immigration from Ireland and other similarly affected countries. The need for corrective action is apparent. H.R. 165 would effectively achieve that corrective action. The widespread support for this legislation evidenced by the fact that there are 62 cosponsors makes it also apparent that many Members of Congress are concerned that remedial action be taken before Irish immigration reaches even lower levels. This bill. by correcting the deficiencies in the present law. would insure continuance of new seed immigration. not only from Ireland. but from every other nation which has suffered a decline as a result of the 1965 act. It would equalize an immigration policy. the imbalances of which have produced the precipitous decline which I have explained. Mr. Speaker. I urge that the Subcommittee on Immigration and Nationality of the Judiciary Committee give priority to this issue and take appropriate action to deal equitably. with the unanticipated effects of the 1965 act. I include at this point in the RCORD the list of 62 Members of Congress who are sponsoring H.R. 165 and companion bills: