Speech #980108096

President Reagan has been wooing Hispanic voters for months. and I want to comend the Speaker for not allowing him to use this important issue as a political tool. The employer sanctions provision of the SimpsonMazzoli bill. the backbone of this legislation. is intolerable to Hispanics everywhere. Employer sanctions simply would not curb illegal immigration but would increase potential for discrimination against the Hispanic community. which is already suffering from an extraordinary high rate of unemployment. Employer sanctions would also place an unfair burden on American small businesses. Clearly. immigration laws should be enforced by the Government and not by the employer. Hispanics won a victory yesterday. But we must not ignore the fact that something must be done to curb the increasing flow of illegal immigration. We must work with Mexico and other nations to develop a multilateral solution to this problem. Illegal immigration is not merely a domestic problem and we must look to the source if we are going to find an answer. We must come up with a viable alternative that protects the rights of Hispanic citizens here in America. and still provides an equitable solution for American workers. Developing border industries in Mexico to create jobs. enforcing current labor laws in the United States and strengthening our Border Patrol may be steps in the right direction. Employer sanctions certainly are not.