Speech #970148321

Mr. Speaker. today I am introducing the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1982. the most fundamental reform of our immigration laws in over 30 years. The bill is complex. but its purposes are simple: To reform outmoded and unworkable provisiors of the present immigration law and to gain control of our national borders. This is an historic occasion. not only because of the significance of the bill itself. but also because an identical bill is being introduced in the Senate by Senator ALAN K. SIMPSON. of Wyoming. chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Policy. It is rare when a House and x Senate subcommittee chairman agree to introduce an identical bill. It is extraordinary when the chaternen are introducing such an identical bill on one of the most controversial subjects of our times. It in even more extraordinary when the chairmen are from difierent parties. and different regions of the country. We have reached this point for two reasons. First. the issue of immigration is .o important to our Nation and the need to reform our laws is so pressilhi that all party and regional loyalties. as well as differences. must be transcended. As elected Representatives. we must reflect the interests and concerns of those who elected us. But. we cannot also forget that on certain fundamental issuesnational defense. foreign policy. crime. drug abuse. and. now. immigrationthe importance of the subject requires a totally objective. nonparochial approach. The second reason we have come to this point in immigration reform is ALAN SIMPSON. He is an unusual man and an unusual Senator. He and his very capable staff have been a joy and a pleasure to work with during the past 13 months as we have studied this issue together. Before assuming the chairmanship last year. as you all know. S..xator SIMPsoN served as one of the mtmbers of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy. chaired by my good friend. Father Theodore M. Hesburgh. president of Notre Dame. my alma mater. Since becoming chairman of the Senate subcommittee. he has b.:n extremely helpful to me and my staff and has been thoroughly coopirative as we have worked on this i.*7ue. For the first time in 30 years. our two subcommittees held joint hearings on the subject of immigration reform. We have traveled together to study immigratic i problems. most recently earlier thi.4 month to the State of Florida. We have traveled what I have termed the equivalent of the borscht circuit of immigration putting on our Immigration Today show at conferences. such as one at Williamsburg sponsored by the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations. and the conference at San Diego sponsored by the San Diego City Club. For these last few weeks. we have had extensive. detailed meetings on all aspects of the bill we are intrfducing today. with a true dialog. so that today we have a Joint venture of which we are both proud. What we are introducing today is a fair and equitable and workable and balanced bill.