Speech #940114729

Mr. President. I call to the attention of the Senate the fact that Zero Population Growth. a national society actively searching for solutions to world population problems. has asked Congress to review the illegal alien problem and "adopt a policy statement on Immigration to guide the Immigration and Naturalization Service and other Federal agencies in their administration of the law." I find this request uniquely appropriate. As Americans. we have always had great sympathy for the plight of the disadvantaged millions who must endure economic conditions and standards of living far below our own. No one can deny that this country has done more than any society in history to help poor people everywhere. We cannot. however. allow the scant natural resources of this country to be divided among those who do not care to live by the rules of our society. The facts we have available to us about the alien population are unnerving. In 1973. enough illegal aliens were apprehended to populate Washington. D.C. The number of apprehensions has doubled each year in the last decade. but is still considered only onetenth of the actual number of illegal aliens present in the United States. The approximate number of illegals today equals the population of New York City and in the early 1980s could equal the present population of Mexico. The incentives for this flagrant abuse of our immigration laws are constantly increasing. As whole nations economies deteriorate and as their populations increase. greater numbers of unemployed will search for security in our country. All available evidence indicates that the vast majority of aliens come to this country in search of employment.