Speech #910019041

Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to join our distinguished colleague from New York in urging the Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization to report favorably on H.R. 165. a bill to make additional visas available to nationals of countries which have suffered a severe decline in immigration to the United States as a result of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. This proposal. although granted only a 1day hearing by the subcommittee last year. has been the subject of extensive debate. discussion. and interest over the past 2 years. During this period. it has gained strong support as the only practical and equitable solution to the serious problems resulting from the 1965 law. Thus far during the 91st Congress. 61 Members of the House. including myself. have sponsored this legislation. The 1965 amendments to our basic immigration law. which replaced the onerous national origins quota system with a system geared to reunion of families and to the selection of skilled persons. rectified many of the inequities and injustices in our immigration policy. An unexpected result of the new policy. however. has been the denial of admission to "newseed" immigrants who have traditionally come from Western EuroPean countries such as Ireland and Germany and who have contributed so very much to our national life. These individuals are typically young. single. ambitious men and women without the family ties or special skills required for admission under the new law. The operation of the 1965 amendments since they took full effect last July has made apparent a critical need for additional reforms so as to insure the wholly nondiscriminatory immigration policy intended by Congress in enacting the law. For example. Irelands annual quota prior to 1965 was 17.756. In average years about 7.000 persons came to the United States from Ireland. During the first half of fiscal year 1969. a total of only 227 Visas were issued at our Embassy in Dublin. From 1956 to 1965. German immigrants numbered only slightly less than the 25.814 assigned their nation under the previous system. In contrast. immigration from Germany to the United States fell to 3.391 from July 1 to December 31. 1968. It is clearly against our national interest to discriminate in this manner against the people of Western Europe when one considers the outstanding contributions of these groups to our Nation. Science. religion. the arts and humanities. government. and industryall have benefited immeasurably from the legacy of our countrys western European immigrants. Surely we would have been the poorer if we had refused admission to these immigrants blessed with such a high degree of ingenuity and initiative. Mr. Speaker. I respectfully urge the members of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization to consider favorably H.R. 165 which is designed to alleviate this distressing situation. This legislation would place a floor under immigration from every nation based on 75 percent of its annual average immigration for the 10year period from fiscal 1956 through fiscal 1965. In no case. however. would the floor for any nation exceed 10.000. This change would. in practice. permit additional immigration from Ireland. Germany. and other nations unfairly discriminated against by the 1965 amendments. without in any way jeopardizing the position of those countries which have benefited from the new law. The legislation is in the spirit of the 1965 Immigration Act and will carry forward more effectively its laudable goals of equality and justice for all persons seeking admission to the United States.