Speech #970275591

Mr. Chairman. I rise in support of H.R. 7357. the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1982. I would like to commend the Subcommittee on Immigration. Refugees. and International Law and its chairman. ROMANO MAZZOLI. for their tireless efforts to bring this bill to the floor. I would also like to praise the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. PER RODINO. for his work on this issue. He has been spearheading proposals for effective immigration reform for many years. Immigration has become a vexing national problem. reaching crisis proportions. The Census Bureau estimates that between 3.5 and 6 million illegal aliens currently live in the United States. and other estimates place the illegal alien population at up to 10 million. Many of these people have made tangible contributions to our society. yet. as the New York Times recently noted. they are forced to live under a "cloud of exploitation and fear." The Times also noted that some of these people take jobs that might otherwise go to poor Americans "and extract a price in public tolerance." H.R. 7357 addresses the serious problems inherent in illegal immigration and at the same time acknowledges the importance of legal immigration and family reunification. It is a carefully constructed compromise that will stem the tide of future illegal immigration while recognizing the humane and practical need to grant amnesty to those aliens who have been here for years. As one who strongly believes in the concept of family reunification as part of our immigration policy. I was involved in the early stages of this legislation. As introduced. the SimpsonMazzoli bill eliminated the fifth preference of immigration categories for brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens. Fifteen of my colleagues joined me in a letter to the bills sponsors. urging them to reinstate the fifth preference. In this letter we reiterated the testimony of the American Committee on Italian Migration: For Italians and for many other ethnic groups. brothers and sisters are an integral part of the family reunification concept. Elimination of that preference category would violate a sacrosanct right of an American citizen to live with his family according to his own tradition and lifestyle. We also noted the inequity in forcing those who wish to legally emigrate to the United States to bear the brunt of our sanctions against illegal immigration. I am delighted that the full Judiciary Committee reinstated the fifth preference. The crucial concept of family reunification will continue to be a cornerstone of U.S. immigration policy. I am also pleased that H.R. 7357 contains a provision to permit aliens who entered the United States illegally prior to 1977 to become permanent resident aliens. and allows those who entered the U.S. illegally prior to 1980 to become temporary resident aliens. This legalization program is supported by former Presidents Ford and Carter. and by President Reagan as well. as the only practical and humanitarian way of dealing with the millions of undocumented aliens now in the United States. In this regard I would commend to the attention of my colleagues an excellent "Dear Colleague" letter circulated by my good friend and distinguished colleague from New York. Representative SHIRJLEY CHISHOLM. In her letter she notes: To seek to deport (illegal aliens) would uproot large numbers of people who have built up equities in this country. sever close family ties. and present the danger of serious civil rights violations. Surely. the last thing our country needs. at the present time. is a cruel campaign against a significant minority population. Just as I could not support this bill if the family reunification concept was eliminated. I could also not support it if the amnesty provision was deleted leading to such a cruel campaign against minorities. H.R. 7357 also makes it illegal to hire. recruit. or refer for a fee. illegal aliens for employment in the United States. I support employer sanctions as a practical way of stemming the flow of undocumented immigrants who compete with U.S. citizens for jobs. This provision is a vital complement to the legalization proposal. especially at a time of grave economic distress throughout our country. I understand the concern that employer sanctions may result in discrimination because employers may refuse to hire foreignlooking workers for fear of incurring penalties.