Speech #960243059

President. I have introduced and there is now pending before the Committee on the Judiciary Senate Concurrent Resolution 94. This is an effort to bring the attention of the Senate and the House to the refugee and immigration problem and a recognition that. while we do not need to forsake the tradition of this country as being a haven for refugees from throughout the world. we do need to recognize that there are some limits. particularly at this time. when our people are straining under the inflationary spiral that we suffer from in this country. when our economic resources are being sorely tested. when our energy supplies are in short supply. There is a limit to how many this country can take in in any one period of time and can reasonably assimilate into our society. That resolution sets a limit for 1980 of 650.000 legal immigrants into this country. Many would agree that that is a substantial figure. It is somewhat higher than last year. This would include. of course. all of our normal immigration into the country and all of our refugee effort. By establishing that limit. at least Congress would have some idea of how many we are to deal with and what the costs would be. Many of my colleagues have indicated that that figure is much too high. but I think. as a practical matter. having a figure that is somewhat above last years. when we take into account the fact that most of last year. we had a commitment to the Indochinese refugees of 7.000 per monthwhich. late in the year. was doubled to 14.000 a month and it is that figure that we are dealing with nowand taking into account the influx from Cuba at the present time and recognizing that we must address that problem to some extent. to me. seems reasonable. That would require that if the Cuban influxand we have no idea what the number might be. It is right now approaching 100.000 persons. We have no control over that. Unfortunately. the way our immigration and refugee laws work. we have abdicated the control over the numbers and who will come into the country to such despots as Fidel Castro and others who may exist around the world. So while we cannot predict the number that may want to come here from this upheaval of the people of Cuba. we can put total limitations. which may mean that we will have to adjust some of the other immigrants or refugees who come into the country if the Cuban totals reach substantially higher figures. At any rate. it is my judgment that that is a reasonable approach. Even those editorial writers who have written saying that we must maintain our great tradition as a country of refugees and a country of immigrants. almost all of them also point out that there are limits and we must recognize what those limits are and that we must operate in a reasonable and practical way. a way that is consistent with the interests of our citizens who are already here and consistent with the interests of the country generally. I think that is a reasonable way to approach the problem. That resolution is still in the Committee on the Judiciary. I hope they will act on it at an appropriate time. I also say that there will be other legislation. relating either to the funding of the refugee programs or to some other aspect of it that will offer an opportunity to present that resolution as an amendment. Mr. President.