Speech #980091655

I do not think there is anybody who can dispute that or disagree. I also think there is another principle involved that we have adhered to in the past and that is that these types of issues should be dealt with in comprehensive legislation. The gentleman from Kentucky spoke a few minutes ago. and we have before us pending in this Congress. pending in the last Congress. the only legislation that will reach the roots of the problem that this amendment is attempting to deal with and that is the SimpsonMazzoli Immigration Reform and Control Act. Until that is adopted you are never going to arrest the surreptitious entry into the United States. you are never going to discourage it. and these problems will be with us. I say this is an opportunity for us to recognize that that is the basic need that we face here. I think there are a few things that even though this amendment obviously is very popular should be on the record and known by all of the Members of the House before we vote. In the first place. the situation that arose in Texas is unique in that there the legislation was attempting to distinguish between the children of legal and illegal aliens and that it is not typical in other States. The court there very properly said that this was not a proper action. But here we are bunching the two together as if we had never educated the children of immigrants. There is not a person in this room who is not the descendent of a child of an immigrant who was educated at public expense in the United States. In order to deal with a very narrow problem we are making a very fundamental change. I suggest that the legal immigrants that are brought in under the formula in the definition in this bill. are not here as a result of a failure of national policy. It is entirely different to lump lawfully admitted permanent residents. refugees that are the result of consultation between the Congress and the Executive and those that come here illegally and are a burden. we all understand fully well. on the local taxpayers and local government. I suggest that the appropriate place for this legislation to be considered is in the context of our immigration policy and not on this bill that is before us this afternoon.