Speech #970273252

The first year I came here that is what I concentrated on and I Just hate to see the continuation of the misery of one country being fed on the misery of another country. So I want to compliment the gentleman from California for his sensitivity in this very important area. No one of conscience could reflect on our history of immigration law and be untroubled. Our Nation of immigrants has a proud history of offering refuge Lo the oppressed. opportunity for the ambitious. and shelter for the unwanted. Ours has truly been the golden door. Yet our immigration laws have been marked by fear and racism more than anything else. There was a shameful exclusion act which tried to bar Orientals. The longstanding quota system itself tried to preserve our Nations opportunity solely for the nationalities that had already arrived. a policy of blatant racism. Incidentaily. in this act I notice that there is a special proviso for a pilot program and also for waiver in certain cases involving those countries that have been respectful of our immigration laws. What does that mean? It means that a country like Mexico is not going to be able to have any entitlement to this privilege provided for in this bill. That system was left somewhat altered but not essentially changed by the preference system that went into effect with the last reform written in 1965. It was that same law that for the first time established an unrealistic and unenforceable quota on immigration within our hemisphere and led to our present dilemma. The REcoRD will show that I was the only one to rise in 1965 and got severely chastised. In fact. voices were raised and I was shouted at by the then Representative McGregor from Minnesota because I dared question his amendment.