Speech #920194450

Mr. Chairman. I should like to join in commending the chairman of the full committee for his eloquent statement in support of H.R. 9615. and I also wish to express my feeling of appreciation to the chairman of the Subcommittee on Inmmigration and Nationality for the leadership he has shown since assuming the chairmanship in bringing about within that subcommittee a consensus. which Is reflected in the bill before us. in order to remedy unanticipated inequities which resulted from the 1965 amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act. which became fully effective on July 1. 1968. The purpose of this bill is to remove two inequities. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 quite properly had the intended and laudable purpose of eliminating the obnoxious national origins quota system. Unfortunately. it had the unforeseen adverse effect of effectively barring immigration from a number of countries which have traditionally been sources of valuable seed immigration. such as Ireland. where there was a precipitate decline in immigration. It also failed to remove the fifth preference backlogbrothers and sisters of U.S. citizens. The backlog continues to existmainly in in Italy.