Speech #930041839

I should just like to take an excerpt from the testimony of Howard Samuel of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. In this. there are a couple of excerpts that I think are very important: I have tried to suggest just how misguided these socalled humanitarians may be. No humanitarian can advocate illegal immigration which has brought unemployment and misery to hundreds of thousands of the disadvantaged. and exploitation to the alien himself. No humanitarian can support lower living standards and the undermining of decent wage levels for entire areas of our country. caused by the influx of a labor force which must take any job it can get. Mr. Samuel went on to talk in terms of the heritage of his union which was founded by immigrantsAmong whose members you will still find many immigrants. We have always supported legal immigration. as part of the heritage of our nation. But illegal immigration is a distortion of that heritage. because instead of offering brighter opportunities for the immigrant and enhancing economic opportunity in this country. it brings instead misery and unemployment and exploitation. There is no room in our tradition of immigration for the illegal alien. and the sooner that Congress takes action to end illegal immigration. the better it will be for all of us. I thank the Chairman.