Speech #970255923

Who is going to undertake the fantastic problem of trying to adjudicate these claims? This is also then an open invitation for anyone not already here to quickly come and tell the same story with witnesses whom I am sure can be obtained. In the meantime. nobody knows if this rather watered down employer sanction provision. which is supposed to be the solution to the illegal alien problem. is going to work. Failure to comply does not become a criminal offense until several violations have accrued. Nobody knows if it will work or if it will not. No additional resources are being allocated either to the border patrol. which presently has less officers than the Capitol Police Force. nor to the computerizing of the Immigration Service. which now keeps Its visas in shoeboxes and has no idea who among those who come In with visas have in fact left and who are illegally staying here beyond their time as either students or whatever. I recognize that the huge illegal alien problem has to be addressed. It is not a healthy situation to allow this subculture to go on existing and festering and being exploited. It seems to me. however. that we are going about it the wrong way. In my opinion. the orderly way to a solution of this problem is as follows: One. Put into effect employer sanctions and test them for a period of time to see how effectively they curtail the flow of immigrants. Two. At the same time. devote sufficient assets and resources to greatly expanding the capability and adequacy of the border patrol. the Coast Guard. and the computerization of the Immigration Service. Three. When satisfied that the border is reasonably secure and that the Immigration Service is in a position to control the coming and going of visaed visitors. we should then move up the registry date. The registry date is a date which is presently fixed at 1948. Any illegal alien under present law. who was here in 1948 can apply to the Attorney General for legalization. This is granted if there is no criminal record and the party is selfsupporting. Now we should first move that date. say. to 1970. which makes it a realistic date and instruct the Attorney General to be liberal in his granting of legal status to those who apply and see how many come forward.