Speech #970223881

President. we have a phrase we use in Cheyenne during Frontier Days. "Grab a tight rein because here we come out of chute No. 4." That is where we are with this one. Here is an issue that will consume our interest for a bit. our legislative deliberations. one that will not go away. The current U.S. immigration policy is hopelessly inadequate to deal with modem conditions. including the growing immigration pressure yet to come in this country. The current policies no longer serve or promote the wellbeing of a majority of the American people. Immigration to the United States is out of control and it is so perceived at all levels of government by the American peopleindeed. by people all over the world. I deeply feel that uncontrolled immigration is one of the greatest threats to the future of this Nation. to American values. traditions. institutions. to our public culture. and to our way of life. It exists in sharp contrast to controlled immigration. which. indeed. has been one of the finest traditions of our remarkable heritage. Mr. President. let me present a few statistics. When I began my service on the Select Commission of Immigration and Refugee Policy 3 years ago. serving there with three other Members of this bodySenator KENNEDY. Senator MATHIAS. and Senator DECONCINII think all of us sincerely trusted that we would never reach the point where we would come to talk so often about numbers. since behind every number is a very real face and a very real human being. Unfortunately. we do make this reference. since the numbers show so very clearly the essence and the extent of our problem. In the 5 years just passed. total legal permanent admissions to the United States. including refugees. increased from a little over 450.000 in 1976 to 800.000 in 1980 if we include the 135.000 Cubans and Haitians entering in that year. As recently as 1965. the total was under 300.000. During that same 5year period. the numerically unlimited category of "immediate relatives" of U.S. citizens grew 40 percent. from 114.000 to 152.000. In this same period. refugee admissions have ranged from 5.000 in 1977 to over 200.000 in 1980. 4 times the 50.000 level indicated as the normal flow in the Refugee Act of 1980. The United States today is taking in more legal immigrants and refugees for permanent resettlementthat is a key definition. not just temporary camps or readying them for another countrythan the rest of the world combined. perhaps twice as many. It is because of the inflow of the "immediate relatives" and refugees that legal immigration to the United States has reached so high a level. Mr. President. as my colleagues are well aware. the level of refugee admissions is set by the President after consultation with the Judiciary Committees of the House and the Senate. As a result of the maturing of that consultation process. which has occurred through the fine assistance of my ranking member and the great assistance of my counterpart in the House. the chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee with regard to immigrationlet me pay tribute to RON MAZZOLI. that able and articulate. dogged and determined. delightful friend. During the development of this legislation and during the period since the enactment of the Refugee Act. we. as I say. have reached a maturing process in consultationall of us. I believe the process now provides an appropriate degree of control over refugee admissions. However. present law still provides no control whatsoever over the number of "immediate relative" admissions. Mr. President. in addition. thousands of illegal immigrants now enter the United States every year. Some estimate the annual inflow at over 500.000. The present inflow is substantially higher than it was 10 years ago.