Speech #910019031

Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to join my colleagues today in urging immediate action on legislation which will keep Americas door open for immigrants from countries whose average immigration into the United States has sharply declined as a result of legislation enacted in 1965. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 abolished the national origins quota system. replacing it with a preference system based on whether an immigrant has job skills needed here. or will be joining family members who have already emigrated. Although this act generally liberalized our immigration laws. it accorded harsh treatment to potential immigrants from a few countries. The Irish were particularly hard hit by this law. The typical Irish immigrant is a young man without formal training who sets out alone to seek his fortune In the new world. and to marry and raise a family here. whereas immigrants from other nations arrive with part of their families and earn money here to send for the rest. Irish immigration dropped from a 7.000 annual average during the decade ending in 1965 to 1.800 in 1967. In the 6 months after July 1. 1968. when the 1965 law took full effect. only 227 visas were issued to Irish immigrants. This injustice was certainly not the intent of Congress in passing the 1965 immigration act. H.R. 166 would permit about 5.300 Irish immigrants to enter the United States each year by preventing any nations immigration from dropping below 75 percent of the average number of immigrants who entered the United States from that country during the 195665 period. Immigrants from Great Britain. Germany. the Netherlands. France. Sweden. and Norway would also benefit. The bill would limit the immigrants from any nation affected by the measure to 10.000 and would thus add to the immigrant lists no more than 20.000 to 30.000 people annually. The enactment of H.R. 166 would not disadvantage the countries that gained additional immigration slots through the 1965 act. nor would it significantly increase the total level of immigration. It would only prevent the choking off of immigration from the few countries adversely affected by the 1965 law. I urge congressional action to remedy the unfair and unintended byproducts of the 1965 immigration act.