Speech #980004759

REV. 1. 1 (1981). 2S. 2222. 97th Cong.. 2d Sess. (1982). H.R. 5872. 97th Cong.. 2d Seas. (1982). The House bill was renumbered as H.R. 6514 after being reported out by the House Subcommittee on Immigration. Refugees. and International Law. I N.Y. Times. Mar. 18. 1982. at 26. col. 1. terpart in the House. Romano Mazzoli. chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration. Refugees. and International Law. agreed with the bipartisan approach and viewed the issue in the same focus as I did. We met frequently and as a result an identical bill was introduced by a progressive Democrat in the House and by a progressive Republican in the Senate. In both Houses the members of the minority party endorsed the bill since we had submitted a balanced program permitting this country to once more control its borders and to still maintain its immigrant tradition. As this is written. the bill has passed the Senate and has been reported out of the House Committee on the Judiciary. The bill is now awaiting action on the floor of the House. It is appropriate therefore to discuss in this Foreword the policy behind the bill. and the balance that I mentioned which led to the New York Times characterization. The bill has three critical and distinct reform proposals: (1) increased control of illegal entrants accomplished in the bill through (a) employer sanctions. to inhibit future flows. (b) legalization. to regularize the undocumented aliens presently in the country. and (c) facilitating the entrance of temporary workers to reduce any employer dislocation that might occur as a result of employer sanctions and legalization. (2) reform of the asylum adjudication system by limiting the number of appeals available to the asylee applicant and increasing the stature and independence of the adjudicators. and (3) establishment of a numerical limit on legal immigation to the United States and. within that limit. some restructuring of the preference system in order to clarify the purposes of our immigration policy.