Speech #930121046

I am a member of the subcommittee and was with them when they took the trip to the border areas between Mexico and Texas. I think we all shared the same feeling that we have a very serious problem of relationships with a neighbor country which is suffering from severe economic problems. including severe unemployment. To take a 20.000 person limitation and impose it in a way that would cut the existing flow of legal immigrants in half is simply to fail to recognize that we have a special problem because we share a common border with Mexico. However. I do not think the way to resolve that is to go to the other extreme and impose a limitation on every country in this hemisphere except Mexico. because by so doing we would exacerbate our relations with the others. It seems to me Chairman RODINO has offered a way out and a way that the Department of Justice and the Department of State support and a way that recognizes our relationships with Mexico and our special problem on the Mexican border and which does not create a possibility of preempting immigration from the other countries of the Western Hemisphere. For that reason I am inclined to oppose the substitute amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas and to support the amendment offered by the gentleman from New Jersey .