When H.R. 8514 comes before the U.S. House of Representatives. I will be offering an amendment to place a cap on legal immigrants entering this country. My amendment will place refugees under a ceiling of 425.000. This figure is generous when it is compared with the period from 19211980. when our average total legal immigration was under 300.000 per annum. This figure in my amendment is slightly above a 1980 Roper Poll figure of 400.000 which 80 per. cent of the American people wanted. Until refugees are included within this cap. there is no reform of legal immigration. There might be reform of legal immigration as we call it under the present law. but it is not what the American public wants. My amendment maintians flexibility. If an international crisis requires the admission of more refugees in one year. then the number of legal immigrants in other catego. ries would be reduced. Conversely. if there is no need to admit a large number of refugees. then the other legal immigrant ceiling would be increased. A second problem affecting legal immigra. tion concerns the method of allocating immigrants other than refugees into this country. H.R. 6514 does nothing to limit the 5th preference. The problem of "chain immigra. tion." whereby alien brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens are given a preference for permanent residence. remains unchanged.
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immigrant immigration immigrants refugees