Mr. President. on the agenda of the 97th Congress should be the reform of our immigration laws. Over the past year. legal and illegal immigration has grown to a level approaching 2 million people annually. This is not an insignificant factor. By comparison. the total natural increase in the U.S. population in the 12 months ending in June of this year was slightly less than 1.6 million. To regain control over immigration. we need to act prudently on a number of different fronts. Total levels of immigration need to be decided upon that take into account our national economic. resource and social policies. The impact these additional people have on our labor force needs to be assessed. The adequacy of our legal deterrents to unlawful immigration must be confronted. The particular problems of the countries from which these people come must also be part of the question. Unfortunately. most advocates of immigration policy reform concentrate on only one of the numerous policy areas that need examination. Earlier this year. Mr. President. an article appeared in the National Forum by Peter R. Huessy. then an assistant to the president of the Environmental Fund. In a refreshing approach to this problem. the author advocated a comprehensive policy of immigration reform. I recommend this material to my colleagues on both sides of this Chamber and ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the RECORD.
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immigration illegal immigration