Speech #920282716

Alva L. Pulliod. the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service District Director. told the subcommittee: It is quite apparent that under the present conditions. this situation will get out of control. It has been suggested that we have an increase in manpower. and an Increase in manpower would. no doubt. bring an increase in the number of apprehensions. However. it is my firm conviction that the aliens will continue to come to this area or anywhere where they can seek employment. so long as the employment opportunities exist. and the continued apprehensions and deportations will not to a great extent deter them. The illegal alien appears to be driven by very strong economic motives. bordering in many cases on simple selfpreservation. Sanctions in the Immigration and Nationality Act aimed at deterring the alien from entering the country illegally and/or illegally accepting employment range in severity from enforced voluntary departure to two years imprisonment and a $1.000 fine. It is apparent that these sanctions have not been effective. Mr. Chairman. quite frequently foreign immigration has been blamed for high unemployment In the United States. This is sheer fallacy. Labor certification is required for all lawfully admitted aliens who plan to become American citizens. other than immediate relatives. such as mothers. fathers. sons. daughters. brothers. and sisters. My colleagues will recall it was the intention of the Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1965. which I sponsored and supported. to make it easier to reunite families and bring together members of families who had been tragically separated for so many years. During fiscal year 1971. approximately 48.000 skilled immigrants entered the United States with the required labor certification which was issued to them only because their skills were in short supply in the United States. Thus. labor certification has been used as an effective tool in limiting admission of aliens to those whose skills are needed in the American labor market. It is not the lawfully admitted aliens who are taking jobs away from Americans. To the contrary. lawfully admitted aliens are usually highly educated. highly skilled individuals who are supplementing our labor supply when it is short in certain specific areas. and quite frequently. we find other nations lamenting their "brain drain" because only their highly qualified citizens can meet the requirements for immigration to the United States and therefore they are losing their most productive citizens. Their loss. of course. is our gain. Our country was built. and its greatness was assured to a very large degree by the lawfully admitted aliens who have come to America from all over the world.