Speech #920194518

Chairman. this amendment would bar 65 percent of those in the fifth preference category. By so doing. we would establish a malicious and permanent pattern of discrimination against Italians and only Italians. In the name of reducing unemployment. the gentleman from Indiana is challenging the just and legal immigration of the relatives of American citizens. It is false to place the blame for unemployment on legal Italian immigrants. I am also afraid that the current furor about illegal aliens will have an adverse effect on H.R. 9615 and on Italian immigration. The information we have so far seems to show that the illegal alien problem has a major impact on our large unemployment problem. Unfortunately. the contribution of illegal aliens to unemployment of Americans has led some people to react negatively to all immigration. As you know. most illegal aliens arrive from Mexico. so there is no reason why the illegal alien problem should even indirectly be related to Italian immigration. Why make the immigrant relatives of ItaloAmericans the innocent victims of an unemployment problem they are not responsible for? Of the total 22.000 potential Italian immigrants. only a small part are potential workers. most of the 22.000 are wives and children. Very often these new immigrants will be bringing skills to this country which are in demand and for which jobs go begging now. In any case. the number of new Italian immigrants allowed by H.R. 9615only a few thousand a yearwill have a very minor effect in our labor market of almost 90 million workers. The great benefits of family reunification which would result from the immigration of Italians under H.R. 9615 surely outweigh the unlikely possibility that unemployment will increase. If passed intact. without any changes. H.R. 9615 will mean much to many families I represent and many other ItaloAmerican families throughout the country.