Speech #970000215

The question of allowing permanent residency under certain conditions is more difficult than other issues and should be addressed separately. The benefits of a legal status would be immeasurable. By diverting this incredible stream of illegal aliens into a legal flow. the reduced pressure on our enforcement system will alleviate the strain now placed on it and enable it to function much more effectively. By merely having a legal status. the person who was formerly an undocumentado will be able to openly join unions which can then ensure that there is no exploitation of these temporary workers. By having a legal status. the workers will also be able to take advantage of the state workmens compensation laws. earn a guaranteed minimum wage. file for appropriate tax refunds and--except for agricultural workersthey could engage in employment which could earn them a social security pension if they completed 40 quarters of work. By guaranteeing that these minimal benefits accrue to the temporary workers. we will also be reducing any opposition to this approach in that the "exploitation factor" will be removed. Under the provisions of the principal bill. the Attorney General. in consultation with the Secretary of State. will set up a program of temporary worker visas. Acting in consultation with the Secretaries of Agriculture. Labor. Commerce. and State the Attorney General would establish annual and monthly quotas for temporary worker visas based on need over and above available domestic labor. These visas would be issued in Mexico on a firstcome firstserved basis. The Mexican citizen holding such a visa would then be eligible to spend 240 days within the United States seeking or working at a job. The legislation does not place any geographical restraint on where the visa holder may seek employment. Similarly. there is no prohibition on the type of work in which he or she may engage. There is. however. a provision designed to help protect the U.S. workers at any given business location from unreasonable labor competition from such a visa holder. The Secretary of Labor could make a finding that at a specific business or agricultural site. there are available qualified and willing domestic workers. If so. the Mexican national could be restricted from working at that site. Should a visa: holder fail to return to Mexico after the expiration date of the visa or enter the United States illegally. there would be stiff prohibitions on their eligibility for future visas. Also. the Attorney General is required to make semiannual reports to the Congress on the effectiveness of the program. It is a widely known fact. supported by all recent studies on illegal immigration. that immigrants are coming to the United States for economic reasons. The gap between the standards of living of the developing countries and the United States creates a situation that attracts people from impoverished nations to seek a better standard of living in the United States. The issue. has. however. been acute since 1968. when for the first time. emigration from countries of the Western Hemisphere into the United States was restricted. The impact of this decision was felt immediately. By way of illustration. in fiscal year 1967. 161.608 illegal aliens were apprehended by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. By fiscal year 1976. that figure of deportable aliens had risen to 875.915. Of that figure. 88 percent were as a result of illegal entry and 89 percent. 781.474. were Mexican nationals. many of whom were repeated visitors. As to total number of undocumented workers within the United States. one of the most widely accepted estimatesprovided to the Immigration and Naturalization Service by Lesko and Associatesis 8.2 million illegals. 1975. of whom 5.2 million are from Mexico. Another recent estimate by the Bureau of Census sets this total figure at about 4 million. The vast majority of the Mexican migrants are young and from rural areas in Mexico. Many recent studies corroborate the fact that at least 70 percent of the Mexican nationals come to the United States for short periods of time and then return to Mexico without any intention of permanently residing in the United States. These are very proud. hardworking people with close ties to their homeland who come to the United States to increase their earnings so that they may see their families through economic hardship.