Speech #970273210

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman. this debate opened with a statement from our committee chairman. the gentleman from New Jersey. typical of his continued wise leadership in the area of immigration. His was a message of urgency. The time for action to regain control over our immigration policy is long overdue. The burden in this debate rests squarely on those who at this late date object to effective enforcement policies. One of the pleasures for me in this Congress has been working with the gentleman from Kentucky. the chairman of the subcommittee. Few men give of themselves so much to realize necessary but difficult changes in our immigration laws. Mr. Chairman. I welcome the opportunity today to join my colleagues in speaking in support of H.R. 7357. the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1982. This legislation represents the culmination of years of work. The Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy held 12 regional hearings in different parts of the United States. conducted 24 indepth consultations. and authorized extensive social science and legal research. A Cabinetlevel task force carefully scrutinized the Select Commissions findings and recommendations. The Immigration Subcommittees of both the House and Senate heard from numerous witnesses from Federal. State. and local governments. business and labor organizations. industry and agriculture. religious and ethnic groups. and civil liberties organizations. The Judiciary Committee. although unable to please everyone. made a conscientious effort to accommodate very diverse concerns. The genius of the SimpsonMazzoli bill is reflected in its balance of competing interests. The billby focusing on enforcement. adJudications. and legalizationaddresses the major issues related to the presence of undocumented aliens in the United States today. The American people. for many years. have called upon the Congress to confront our lack of control over our borders. We have the opportunity. in this Congress. to act with firmness to deter future illegal entry and at the same time reaffirm Americas historic commitment to accept legal immigrants from other lands. Employer sanctions. the centerpiece of immigration law enforcement. is a key provision in this bill. H.R. 7357 attempts to discourage the annual flow of hundreds of thousands of undocumented aliens by removing the major inducement to illegal migrationthe magnet that draws people to our shoresthe opportunities for employment. The concept of employer sanctions has received the support of a number of administrations. favorable votes on two occasions in this body. and the endorsementby a 14to2 voteof the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy. Alternatives have been considered and found wanting. Employer sanctions is the only effective optionin the judgment of the many people who have focused on the problem of illegal immigration. This legislation specifically guards against the possibility of making employers law enforcers. Sanctions are not imposed on employers who hire illegal aliens unknowingly. The language of section 101 provides that it is unlawful to hire an alien "knowing the alien is an unauthorized alien � � 0 with respect to such employment 0 * 0." An employer that "establishes that it has complied in good faith" with the verification requirements "has established an affirmative defense * *." I believe the statutory language as well as the legislative history will protect American businesses by limiting the application of employer sanctions to "knowing" violations. The Business Roundtable. by endorsing this bill. has expressed its faith that employers will receive fair treatment.