Speech #930041726

Chairman. I rise in support of H.R. 982. I do so with the realization that. in the light of the problem created by the ease with which aliens can enter this country illegally and gain employment here. the bill may help. it is a step in the right direction but it does not go far enough to solve many illegal alien problems. I must reluctantly point out that section 1 of H.R. 982 does not address itself to the problems that arise from hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens competing for jobs in this country and/or receiving benefits from welfare. food stamp. and medical care programs. Part of this section merely restates existing administrative procedures for Western Hemisphere natives to adjust their status from nonimmigrant to permanent resident aliens. The remainder of section 1 permits this to be accomplished without the alien leaving and then reentering the country. Under the provisions of section 2. there is a 3step procedure for imposing sanctions on employers and agents of employers who knowingly employ aliens illegally in the United States. culminating in the assessment of fines at the rate of $500 per alien found working in subsequent violations. if such violations occur within a 2year period. The Government Operations Committees Legal and Monetary Affairs Subcommittee. of which I am chairman. is currently engaged in a study of the management and operational problems of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Our authority for engaging in this study derives from section 8(2) of rule XI of the House of Representatives. which states that the Government Operations Committee has the duty of "Studying the operation of Government activities at all levels with a view to determining its economy and efficiency". While we have had only 3 days of hearings so far. our subcommittee has had the benefit of findings contained in a draft report by the General Accounting Office. and we have compiled a mass of background information in a study that is now in its 21st month. Our illegal alien problem arises. of course. from the attractiveness of life in this country to residents of other nations. It is a sad commentary on the existence at lower economic levels in other countries that living on welfare in the United States provides a better way of life than working at menial tasks almost any place else in the world. To oppose letting those unfortunates come to this country at will and infiltrate our work force or live on the handouts at the public trough could smack of incompassion. But consider the consequences of letting down all the bars against immigration. There would not be enough jobs to go around. there would not be enough money in the Treasury to feed. clothe. and house all the unemployed. The relatively good working conditions and reasonable wage structures. hardwon by years of labormanagement negotiations. would break down under conditions where there would be several workers available for every job. There would not be enough housing to meet the needs of a vastly expanded population if there were no restraints on immigration. There would not be enough schools. recreational. and medical facilities to go around. There just is no reasonable way we can assume all the burdens of all the other countries by permitting free entry to all of their unfortunates. We have laws by which restraints are placed upon immigration into the United States and it is the duty of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to enforce these laws. Our subcommittee Is now studying the Immigration and Naturalization Service to see if economy and efficiency are key ingredients in its operations. Our study is not yet complete. it is too early to arrive at any firm conclusions. But I think I can say that at this point there is much that the Immigration and Naturalization Service needs in order to quell the onrushing tide of illegal immigrants. For one thing. the Department of Justice. of which Immigration and Naturalization Service is a part. and the Office of Management and Budget places. in my opinion. too low priority on the budgetary needs of the Service. In the past 10 years there has been an appalling pattern of reducing or eliminating requests for Increased appropriations for Immigration and Naturalization Service. while the growth of our illegal alien problem has mushroomed. At the same time. it appears that Immigration and Naturalization Service does not always make maximum efficient use of resources made available to them. Little has been done in the way of more sophisticated identification and detection techniques. the age of computerization is slow in coming to Immigration and Naturalization Service. As one member of the subcommittee I have wondered at the emphasis placed by Immigration and Naturalization Service on the Mexican alien problem. almost to failing to recognize that illegal aliens come from a hundred or more other countries. Here in Washington. for example. illegal Mexicans comprise less than 5 percent of the total of illegal aliens located. There are more Bolivians. more Chinese. more El Salvadoreans. more Peruvians here in an illegal status than there are illegal Mexicans. In New York City illegal Mexicans comprise less than 7 percent of aliens of questionable status located.