Mr. Speaker. without a doubt the problem of illegal aliens now rates as one of this Nations most serious domestic problems. Presently there are between 7 and 8 million illegal aliens in this Nation. with as many as 1 million of them holding down jobs which rightfully belong to American workers. I have introduced legislation. H.R. 257. which addresses itself to this aspect of the problem. For the first time. under my bill. it will be an immediate Federal crime for an employer to knowingly hire illegal aliens. Previous legislation in this area merely imposed warnings on employers and allowed them up to 2 years to get rid of any illegal alien employees. We must begin to get tough with employers so as to make it unprofitable for them to continue employing illegal aliens. In the coming weeks. I will be discussing other aspects of my legislation. At this point in the RECORD I wish to insert a copy of a New York Times editorial written by William V. Shannon entitled "The Illegal Immigrants." I hope my colleagues will study his recommendations closely and will then join me in cosponsoring H.R. 257.
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illegal alien Illegal Immigrants illegal aliens