Session #98 · 1983–85

Speech #980217774

It sets a bad precedent that will encourage the migration of more people. One study by the TransCentury Foundation estimated an additional 939.000 illegals would come across the border each year expecting amnesty at some point in the future. An amnesty program now raises the specter of another in the future and ridicules and makes worthless our entire immigration policy. Nor does amnesty represent fair play for Americans. Can we condone a policy that legalizes aliens who have illegally taken jobs from Americans? If illegal aliens were taking jobs away from doctors. lawyers. and bankers. it would have been stopped long ago. Is it fair to write off hundreds of thousands of jobs that could go to Americans who need work because this policy blesses the presence of undocumented workers? Is it fair to America and Americans to enact laws that further strain our already shaky economy as this one does? I do not believe it is and I cannot accept this legalization program. I recognize the problems of the Third World and the hopes that Americas shores hold out to its people. We must be compassionate when dealing with the alien problem. the refugee problem. and those seeking political asylum. But we must also recognize our own limitations. We cannot be all and do all for everyone. Just as in recent years we have faced the necessity of tailoring our fiscal policy. we must now tailor our immigration laws to reflect a more reasonable. rational policy. Amnesty does not help us tailor our policy. it does just the opposite. I cannot accept this provision in the bill and cannot urge any more strongly that it be rejected.
Keywords matched
undocumented immigration refugee illegal aliens

Classification

Also mentioned
refugees
Sentiment
Negative
Stereotyping
No
Confidence
90%
Model
gemini-2.0-flash
Framing
Economic threat Legal / procedural

Speaker & context

Speaker
KENT HANCE
Party
D
Chamber
H
State
TX
Gender
M
Date
1984-06-19
Speech ID
980217774
Paragraph
#2
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