Speech #980217571

Since we have got a clouded issue here. let me cloud it up a little further. Eight years ago. I was getting estimates from retired regional directors of the Immigration and Naturalization Service of between 14 and 15 million illegal immigrants in the country. By the same token. in later years coming up. it seems to me to be growing by leaps and bounds at the rate of about 1 million illegals each year. So we can conceivably say that we have 20 million plus illegal aliens living in this country today. which would be a tenth of the population. So I support the gentlemans amendment. reluctantly. because I do not agree with amnesty. but because I know that something must be done. that we must find some way to begin to control what is happening to our country here. and that is why I support it. Mr. Chairman. this amendment establishes a twotier legalization program that grants permanent resident status to undocumented aliens who can prove entry into the country prior to January 1. 1977. and temporary resident status to those who arrived prior to 1980. It is similar to the legalization program which has already been approved by the other body. This twotiered amnesty plan is an improvement over the unprecedented amnesty program included in the bill which covers all those who entered prior to 1982. For that reason I will support it. However. it is with great reluctance that I do support this amendment. Amnesty raises serious questions of fairness with regard to those who have waited patientlysometimes for more than a decadeto immigrate through proper legal channels. Furthermore. I doubt that it will free any resources to deal with our immigration problems. but instead will encourage millions more to immigrate illegally in the hope of benefiting from some future amnesty plan. If we grant amnesty once. there is no reason that we cannot do it again. I will support the amendment because it represents a less drastic approach than that currently in the bill.