Speech #970044439

The administrations proposal would raise the per countryquota for our two closest neighbors. Mexico and Canada. to 40.000 per year each. However. since immigrants from Canada normally number around 15.000 a year. Mexico would be allowed to "borrow" the extra numbers from Canada. This means that Mexico would end up with a yearly quota of about 65.000 while all other countries would still be allowed only 20.000. Under this formula. the Hispanic portion of the population would rise from its present level of 6.5 percent to 10.4 percent in 2030. The important thing that the task force report does not point out is that if this policy had been in effect last year. legal immigration to the United States would have been 853.000 rather than 808.000. Nor does it point out that it would be pcssible to have an immigration flow of 800.000 or more under this system. Ths normal flow would be in addition to the "leakage" of illegal aliens which Father Hesburgh has stated will occur regardless of the type of enforcement system we have in place. Adding 853.000 immigrants to our population each year is the same as creating a city the size of Phoenix or San Diego every year in this country. This. of course. is in addition to our normal growth rate without immigration and does not include the additional population generated by the children of immigrants. If we continue our present course. annual immigration in excess of 800.000 would add at least 35 million people to our population in the next 20 years. This would be the same as adding approximately five cities the size of New York over that same period of time. I believe that a much more rational approach is to set a total immigration ceiling which is generous but which does not impose these excessive population burdens on the citizens of this country. I chose the number 350.000 because it is reasonable. it far exceeds the number of immigrants admitted by any other country in the world and probably exceeds total world immigration for permanent settlement. Furthermore. within the next 25 years. it will mean that we would have 20 million less in our population than if the immigration number were 800.000. This difference in population increases to about 50 million less by the year 2057. The drain that this increased population will have on scarce resources. energy. housing. jobs. food. and governmental services will be substantial. With unemployment standing close to 8 mIllion today. I believe that we need to seriously consider the open ended immigration system the administration is ready to recommend. It is apparent that the admin4stration is also ready to recommend a trial guest worker program. The proposal mentions 50.000 per year.