Speech #960303171

And we cannot have a real policy until we have something approaching a national consensus. The easy and obvious policy alternatives are all undesirable. First. if we dump all illegal aliens found in this country in jail and leave them there until they arrange to leave this country. it would tend to discourage others from coming. But this society is not about to condone such concentration camp tactics. Second. if we spend untold billions to vastly expand our border and coastal patrols. we might limit the inflow. But it will undoubtedly remain easier and cheaper for them to punch holes in our 10.000mile wall than for us to plug the holes. Third. we can severely crimp any boatlifts by letting vessels sinka policy we have not and I hope we never will seriously consider. It will take a lot more finesse to limit the refugee flow. but we will still continue to see periodic spurts. It was Hungarians in 1956. Cubans in the early 1960s. Vietnamese in 1975 and 1978. and Cubans in 1980. Every time there has been an outburst of refugees. there has been an outburst of protest. Recently Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980 specifically to try to control and regulate the inflow of refugees. The act. which went into effect just last spring. envisioned an influx of 50.000 refugees a year. Castro has neatly made mincemeat of our own legislation. Given that periodic bursts of large numbers of refugees can be expected to continue. we had better decide now how we are going to deal with them. Therefore. I am outlining today a fivepoint immigration program designed to address the problems of immigration without punishing the immigrant. The Nation needs to sail a careful course between our limited resources and our traditions of hospitality. I have no truck for the small minds of those who would lock our gates to all newcomers once they themselves are inside. but it is also a simple fact that we cannot accept anyone and everyone who would like to be an American or we will be overwhelmed and our resources depleted.