Speech #920194533

Mr. Chairman. we can take a big step today toward reducing the discriminatory barriers against immigration for people throughout the Eastern Hemisphere who have been adversely affected by the current immigration laws. In 1965 Congress approved an immigration act which provided for the phasing out over a 3year period of the old national origins system of granting visas. At the time. many members shared my concern that this transition period should have been at least 5 years. Unfortunately. the fears expressed then have materialized with the result that thousands of people in Europe and elsewhere have been made to wait for years with no hope of receiving a visa. In many cases which have been brought to my attention. families have been separated because the law was not flexible enough to apply to their situation. It is my hope that these long years of waiting will soon be over. I would remind my colleagues that H.R. 9615 does not mark a return to the national origins system. It simply recognizes the inequities of the present firstcome firstserved system with regard to those countries who formerly enjoyed preferential status. As I said when I introduced similar legislation last year. we should not replace one inequitable system with another. The measure before the House today is temporary and will expire in 4 years. It is intended to alleviate the present backlog. and it will result in a truly fair and balanced system for immigration. I would also emphasize the fact that the economic impact of the bill will be minimal. It is aimed not at increasing the number of immigrants but at making the system of allocation of visas more equitable for those who were adversely affected by the 1965 act. I urge the adoption of this legislation as a positive response to a very real hardship.