Speech #930198509

Mr. Speaker. the 1973 annual report of the Immigration and Naturalization Service has just been released. This informative document. replete with tables and statistics. Illustrates the tremendous responsibilities of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. I invite the attention of all Members of Congress to read this document and to study the attendant tables. In fiscal year 1973 there were 400.063 new immigrants admitted to the United States. an increase of 4 percent over the 1972 total. During this same period. there were 5.977.324 nonimmigrants of various nonimmigrant categories of aliens inspected and admitted to the United States. Of this number. the largest group were temporary visitors for pleasure. an increase of 17.6 percent over the previous year. Furthermore. visitors for business increased 21.8 percent over the previous year. The most staggering statistic is revealed in the arrival of over 250 million passengers during 1973. an increase of 5 percent over 1972. again setting a new record. Needless to say. this large number of people visiting our shores imposes an awsome duty on the Immigration Service to inspect such individuals prior to their admission. In addition. the Service must monitor the whereabouts and departures of these people. simultaneously recording accurate statistics. The annual report contains a very significant section on the ability of the Service to locate deportable aliens. A total of 655.968 deportable aliens were located by Service officers. an increase of 30 percent over fiscal year 1972. A total of 84 percent of the illegal aliens ascertained made surreptitious entries at other than ports of entry. To achieve effectiveness. the Service must remove illegal aliens quickly. and 55 percent were removed within 72 hours of entry. In an effort to better detect illegal entries. a modern enforcement tool. known as an electronic intrusion alarm system. has been installed along the northern and southern borders. There is a high concentration of illegal aliens in urban centers of this country who often unfairly compete with American workers and who often surface on welfare rolls. In the past year. the Service sought to improve the methods of detection of illegal entrants by seeking the cooperation of employers to discontinue the hiring of illegal aliens. In addition. an effort was made to expand the recruitment and training of Immigration and Naturalization officers in an attempt to strengthen area control forces in New York City. Los Angeles and Chicago. During the previous year there was an alarming continued upward trend in aliensmuggling operations. particularly in large urban areas.