Speech #940057048

Czechs. and others. almost 2 million of whom the United States has accepted to our shores since the Second World War. They are war victims. some of whom fled North Vietnam. losing everything. in 1954. and who have now had to flee South Vietnam. If this Nation. whose greatness has come from its many immigrants. will not welcome the Vietnamese refugees. who will? The United States admits 400.000 immigrants each year. so those we absorb from the Indochinese countries cannot possibly exceed even half that total. Mr. Chairman. I do not see the Vietnamese refugees as a threat to our job market since many have families here already and. of course. many are children and old people who will not be entering the labor force. It is my judgment that most of those who will be seeking employment in the United States will be skilled. middleclass persons who can contribute to our economy. They will be most unlikely to increase our problems by adding to our welfare rolls or crime rate since they have strong traditions of personal pride. hard work. and family devotion. just as our Chinese and Japanese immigrants have proven to have. Mr. Chairman. we are all immigrants and almost 45 million Americans are exiles who have come to this land of freedom. We all know of the great contributions immigrants have made to make ours a greater nation. For all we know. one of the youngsters now in a military camp awaiting processing as a Vietnamese refugee. will in his or her lifetime make a tremendous contribution to the further growth and vitality of this country. I have no doubt that when the emotional debate of the day runs its course. those of us who support this measure will be proven to have exercised sound judgment.