Speech #980210350

We are dealing with legislation of great controversy which will have an enormous impact on our future and on our selfimage as a nation. The rule is also heavily flawed in its timing. Proponents of H.R. 1510. with a growing air of urgency. argue that now is the time to pass an immigration reform bill. I could not disagree more. Now is the time to debate the balanced and reasonable alternative to SimpsonMazzoli bill: the Roybal/Hispanic caucus measure. Their bill. which enjoys the support of such diverse groups as the chamber of commerce. the NEA. ACLU. and American Jewish Committee. was not even afforded so much as a hearing. Many Members. including myself. view the Roybal bill as the best possible compromise which would effectively work to solve the problem of undocumented workers without sanctioning discrimination against Hispanic or other "foreign looking" citizens. The timing of H.R. 1510 is also inappropriate in light of recent evidence gathered since the outdated Select Commission report. The Census Bureaus most recent study found the number of undocumented workers to be far fewer than the Commission thought. While current propaganda cites anywhere from 3 to 12 million undocumented workers. the census study determined that there were actually only 2 to 4 million. Consequently. we would be foolish to ignore this new evidence which contradicts many commonly held yet statistically unsupported assumptions. A final argument against debate of immigration reform at this time is the rather ugly antiimmigrant mood which has taken hold in the United States. In cities across the Nation. Hispanics have been illegally harassed in the name of immigration status checks. If this level of discrimination is taking place even before SimpsonMazzoll is considered. imagine what we can expect if the bill is actually passed. I seriously doubt that such fervor against undocumented workers would be stirred if they were fleeing dictatorships and failing economies in Western Europe rather than in Latin America. the Caribbean. and Southeast Asia. In conclusion. I believe that we would be making a serious mistake if we debated H.R. 1510 at this time and under the current rule. We all agree that immigration reform is a priority issue for America. But we also must agree that for immigration reform to be successful it must be compassionate. just and effective. The procedure and the timing of this rule preclude a full debate which would encompass the Roybal alternative. the latest evidence on undocumented workers. the possibility of offering more amendments. and an impartial. clearheaded atmosphere for discussion. I urge my colleagues to vote down this rule.e