Speech #910019036

Speaker. once again this year. I have cosponsored a bill. H.R. 165. to make additional visas available to countries such as Ireland which has suffered an unusually severe hardship under the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Mr. Speaker. the situation is no less grave now than it was last year. in fact. Irish immigration has continued to decline while prospects for improvement in the number of visas available to the Irish become even less promising. We are reminded that during the period between 1956 and 1965. Irish immigration averaged approximately 7.000 persons per year. After the 1965 act became effective. statistics showed a continual. sharp decrease to the point that between July and December of 1968. only 72 preference and nonpreference visas were issued in Dublin for a total of 227 for this 6month period. While the 1965 legislation was designed to remove inequities by bringing families together or by equalizing the opportunity for immigrants from other countries to come to the United Statesworthy goals in themselvesit has at the same time imposed a most unfortunate burden on the Irish who often do not fall within the specially preferred categories. It is imperative that the Congress act and act swiftly to relieve this burden on the applicant from Ireland by adjusting the operation of the Immigration and Nationality Act for nations which have experienced such a dramatic decline in immigration. This bill. H.R. 165. would specifically affect those countries like Ireland in which immigration under the new law has dropped to less than 75 percent of the average yearly number of immigrants during the 195665 base period. For these nations. additional visas in excess of the latest worldwide limitation would be allotted to equal 75 percent of the base period average for that country. These provisions would apply only to the countries with a decline as marked as 75 percent. and the additional visas would not exceed 10.000 for any one country. This type of modification is the very least we can do to correct the hardship in our present law. We cannot allow our laws effectively to prevent immigration from a nation like Ireland. which has contributed so much throughout history to the wealth of men. ideas. and progress in the United States.