Speech #920283019

Mr. Chairman. the legislation currently before us represents a serious assault against certain basic principles and rights upon which this country was founded. It Is the culmination of an illconceived campaign against the foreign born and certain minority groups in this land. It unnecessarily exacerbates tensions which already exist within many communities and serves no other purpose than to give some credence or sense of legitimacy to the scare headlines declaring that "illegal aliens" are depriving American workers of jobs. are undermining the economy and inflating the welware rolls. In recent months one of the most popular scapegoats for our bankrupt economic policies and soaring unemployment has been the illegal aliens. Erroneous and misrepresented figures have been put forth on the number of persons living and working illegally in the United States and unfounded charges have been made on their affect on the domestic economy. What is especially disturbing is the fact that the Judiciary Committees report simply parrots these charges without any attempt to support or verify them. It is claimed. for example. that illegal aliens are taking jobs which American workers would normally fill. I believe a careful examination will reveal that the illegal alien accepts work which the vast majority of citizens would not even consider. Mr. PODEL. of New York. for example. speaks from experience which is closer to reality than the committee report. Most unemployed persons will not take these jobs and they are left for the illegal alien to fill at substandard wages. The claim that illegal aliens flock to the welfare rolls is equally as specious. I believe the facts will clearly show that. fearful of being exposed and deported. the illegal alien will do everything possible to avoid any association with the authorities. Also. the possibility of becoming a permanent resident is seriously jeopardized if an illegal alien would accept public assistance. Finally. many of the illegal aliens have a deep sense of personal pride and even though they maintain a submarginal economic existence. they will try to avoid accepting welfare at all costs. While some illegal aliens may send a portion of their meager salaries back to their families In their homelands. I am certain that the effect of this outflow of funds on our balance of payments is virtually insignificant and that it surely palls in the face of some of our more outlandish expenditures overseas. As I have observed on several occasions in the past. the term "illegal alien" serves as a code word for Mexican Americans on the west coast and in the Southwest and for Spanishspeaking persons from Latin America and the Caribbean on the east coast. If this legislation is enacted. anyone who speaks with an accent and/or has the appearance of being Latin or Hispanic will be subject to questioning about their citizenship or immigration status. This requirement is really only one step removed from the implementation of a sort of national identity card or similar system. The committee pays only lipservice to the rights of minority groups.