Speech #980109983

I hope that both the New York Times and the Washington Post. which are great newspapers. and generally speaking I agree with their editorials. understand that this bill would have had terrible effects on the Hispanic communities. on Asian communities and on the black communities. It seems to me that TIP ONEILL. our Speaker. understood this when he decided that the bill would be discriminatory. I. as chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. applaud him. but I want to make it very clear to my colleagues that we are prepared and willing to sit down to draft a meaningful immigration reform bill in this Congress.