Speech #980004849

This legislation must. by its very nature. be a compromise. a delicate balance between competing interests. I hope my colleagues will understand that balance. and not jump to judgment on the bill because they find one specific part not totally to their liking. It is difficult to overstate the importance of enacting an immigration reform bill in this Congress. Five years ago. the Census Bureau made a rough estimate that between 3.5 and 6 million undocumented aliens already live in our country. All indications are that the number has grown substantially in the intervening 5 years. and that it will grow even more if we fail to act. Undocumented aliens have been coming to this country for decades. The problems the bill seeks to address did not start suddenly last year because of a war in one country or an economic crisis in another. Even if this legislation is enacted. we will not have reached the end of the road in dealing with immigration. In fact. we will just have made a start. We as a nation must deal with the problems in the sending countries that lead so many of their citizens to attempt to come to the United States. We must also strengthen the Immigration and Naturalization Service. the arm of the Justice Department charged with enforcing our immigration laws. For too long. INS has been neglected. with the result that both its service to the public and its law enforcement functions have been inadequate. My subcommittee will hold full hearings on the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1983 during March. We need to refresh the hearing record that was established during the last Congress. and to examine changes that might be made in the bill to strengthen it. The bill I am introducing today is a legislative vehicle to focus the hearings and the debate in my subcommittee. Alternative formulations and views will be given every consideration. A large number of individuals and groups have already indicated their desire to testify on the bill. but I would like to take this opportunity to advise my colleagues and others who wish to be heard on the bill to contact my subcommittee as soon as possible. Written requests should be addressed to the Subcommittee on Immigration. Refugees. and International Law. Committee on the Judiciary. U.S.