Speech #980216082

Mr. Chairman. today I am offering an amendment to strengthen the legalization process contained in H.R. 1510. the immigration reform bill. as currently drafted. This particular amendment is designed to provide protections from deportation and transitional legal status for legalization applicants as well as for those aliens apprehended prior to the end of the application period. First. the amendment seeks simply to further enhance the effectivenss of the legalization mechanism by ensuring that apprehended undocumented workers are apprised fully of its existence. Second. moreover. the amendment requires that. should there be deemed a possibility for legalization. the worker could not be deported until the application period has ended. Third. it will also ensure those aliens who have already applied for legalization the security of staying in the United States. without fear of deportation. until the application period has ended. Fourth. further. if a nonfrivolous case of eligibility is established. the alien shall be granted authorization to work in the United States and be provided with the appropriate work permit until final determination on the application has been made. There are several reasons why the enhancement and strengthening of the legalization procedure would benefit the United States. First. it would curb the exploitation of undocumented workers which results in various kinds of illegality. affects wage standards. impacts upon ethnic relations. and so forth. Second. the legalization of a significant portion of the undocumented population would increase the manageability of our current immigration problems. The Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS] is currently devoting a substantial amount of time and money to the task of deporting people who have established themselves as contributing members of their communities. Third. for those employers who rely on the work of these aliens. the strengthening of the legalization process will facilitate their lawful employment. Finally. only through legalization will we be able to obtain the data necessary to accurately define the undocumented worker problem and. through this information. deal effectively with future influxes. For the above stated reasons I firmly believe in the legalization process and this amendment which would strengthen the procedure. I urge strongly that my colleagues demonstrate their commitment to addressing this issue forthrightly and cast an affirmative vote for this amendment.