Speech #970225380

Mr. President. the Senate has at last begun discussion and debate on a matter of tremendous importance to the future of our Nation. I believe that every Member of this body will agree that action must be taken to modernize our immigration laws. and I hope that an acceptable solution can be engineered from the core of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1982. S. 2222 is the product of many hours of hearings and deliberation. Senator SimusoN deserves our highest praise for his efforts and commitment to address the very difficult issues surrounding our immigration policies. However. I have some specific concerns with this bill as do a number of my colleagues. We have many amendments with which to deal. but I hope that by the end of our debate we can form a consensus and pass S. 2222. We have. by some estimates. from 3 to 12 million illegal aliens in this country. Immigration. legal and illegal. from the Third World has never been higher. The forces behind this flow of humanity to our bountiful shores will only get stronger. and our ability to deal responsibly with the issue rests largely on our ability to understand the circumstances of and impacts related to the flow of foreigners into our Nation. It is time to come to grips with our acceptance and treatment of refugees from around the globe. We must gain some sense of control over our 2.000mile border with Mexico. This must be done with compassion and understanding for those less privileged than ourselves. Unlike other political problems. there is no clear ideological division on these issues. There is no sharp conservative or liberal division. Moreover. immigration is a highly emotional issue involving ethnic and racial agendas. attitudes. and fears which are not always clear or expressed. Immigration. in addition. involves emotions which are not easily compromised. It is no wonder then. that most experienced politicians see the immigration question as dangerous territory with serious shortrun costs and no clear advantages. They do so despite the fact that public opinion polls repeatedly show that the overwhelming majority of Americans are greatly dissatisfied with our immigration policy and want the Government to take action to solve the problem. We must be absolutely certain that we do not compound our current immigration law problems as we move to change the laws. I am particularly concerned about the manner in which we deal with the flow of temporary workers into and out of our Nation. The Judiciary Committee has recognized this phenomenon and included language to modify the H2. temporary worker program that is currently under the purview of the Department of Labor. This H2 program is too restrictive and too burdensome to function in the West. Therefore I will be offering an amendment to include a guest worker program that will meet not only the needs of employers but will treat these temporary immigrants with respect and give them the freedom that they deserve. I shall offer several other amendments Mr. President which I will discuss at the appropriate time. This debate on the reform of our Nations immigration laws is long overdue. Let us proceed. but never let us lose sight of our unique place in global affairs as a nation of immigrants. Thank you.