Speech #920282698

It is a good billas far as it goes. However. it is only the beginning of an attack which must be made on several fronts against a problem which affects not only the employment market but adds to the tax burden of every American and endangers the health and safetyof everyone living in the United States. I wish every Member of this body could have attended the hearings conducted by the Immigration Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee in cities throughout this landfrom the west coast to the east coast. from the southern border to the northern border. We heard from the officials of the Immigration Service that they picked up more than 400.000 illegal aliens last year. But we heard testimony that there may be 2 million illegal aliens plus an unknown number of nonimmigrant visitors and students who have entered the labor market to take jobs away from U.S. citizens. We inspected the border operations o the Immigration Service. we visited the detention facilities. we watched the deportation procedures. and we carefully examined the field investigation system by which some illegal aliens are located and apprehended. We found the Service does need more personnel. but we also found areas of inefficiency and incompetenceand above all. a woeful lack of cooperation between Government agencies. We heard from fruitgrowers. farmers. and industrial employersmany of whom testified that illegal aliens were often hired when U.S. citizens refused to work and chose unemployment compensation instead. But we also heard testimony of exploitation. shortchanging. and mistreatment of aliens by employers. Labor union officials in some cities told us they assumed no responsibility to inquire as to the legal or illegal status of aliens granted membership. Social Security Administration officials informed us they made no inquiry as to the status of applicants for social security cardsand had no right to make such inquiry. State and local welfare and health agencies testified of the heavy burden upon their services occasioned by illegal alien applicants. Others told of the infectious diseases. of epidemic proportions in some areas. brought into the United States by the illegal aliens. Law enforcement officers reported upon dope smuggling and other criminal activity by the illegals. And we also heard from the illegal aliens themselves and from officials of ethnic organizations who urged us to be humanitariannot to take any steps to make life harder for the alien. But no humanitarian can defend the taking of jobs away from the disadvantagedfrom the unemployed U.S. citizenthe undermining of decent wage levelsthe exploitation of the aliens themselves. This bill. H.R. 16188. is just one stepit puts the employer who has benefited from the employment of illegal aliensthe unscrupulous employer who has exploited illegal alienson notice that he is violating the law. It protects the honest. lawabiding employer who makes a sincere effort to screen job applicants and hire only those eligible to work. It will obviously remove at least some of the incentives for aliens to cross the border and take jobs away from U.S. citizens. Without the economic incentive the alien will not attempt the illegal entry. But for those 2 million illegal aliens already in the United States. we need to take other steps to discourage their continued drain upon our welfare and public health servicesand to encourage them to depart voluntarily. I have introduced a bill. H.R. 16430. which will amend the Social Security Act to prohibit the payment of and or assistance under approved State public assistance plans to aliens CXVIII- 1900--Part 23 who are illegally within the United States. This measure. when enacted. wit i not only save the taxpayers of the United States million of dollars. it will also assis in the detection and identification of illegal aliens so that they may be deported as provided by law. The enactment of H.R. 16188the bill now under considerationand H.R. 16430. along with cooperation from the Social Security Administration In noting alien status upon social security cards. more efficiency in the operation of the Immigration Servicethese steps are all needed promptly to bring a complex and dangerous problem to successful solution. I urge your support for this legislation.