Speech #990042415

I had to speak of numbers then. and unfortunately. I must speak of them again today. At the present time. net immigrationillegal plus legalprobably exceeds 750.000 per year. Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants now cross our porous borders every year. Some authorities estimate the new annual inflow at between 250.000 and 500.000 persons. The number of illegal aliens already in the country is unknown. but the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy utilized the figure of 3.5 to 6 million as the number for 1978. There are surely more now. Thus. the phenomenon of illegal Immigration is growing steadily more critical. In 1980 when I served as a member of the Select Commission. the Immigration Service apprehended 910.000 illegal aliens. In 1982. when the first SimpsonMazzoll bill was being debated. the INS apprehended 970.000 illegal aliens. In 1983. when the second SimpsonMazzoli bill was Introduced. the INS apprehended 1.219.000 illegal aliens. And in 1984 when the bill passed both Houses of Congress but failed in conference committee. the INS apprehended 1.241.000 illegal aliens. We are setting some dubious records each year. and we will likely set another one this year. Mr. President. countless studies have also shown that illegal immigration depressesthe wages and working conditions bf"*.S. workers. The flouting of immigration laws also leads to the flouting of other U.S. laws. and Illegal immigration creates a furtive. fearful. and easil~exploited subclass in our soclety Tfis is not a healthy condition for a nation that has always been committed to equality under the law. Let me say here that I want to reemphasize my deep personal feeling that no individual applying to this country lawfully in search of freedom and opportunity. and desiring to integrate fully into American society. should be discriminated against because of race. creed. color. or religionwhich we have certainly sometimes done in our past. I say this to you because I realize that what I am about to say is directed to a most sensitive and complex issue. and there is every risk of misunderstanding. If uncontrolled immigration is continued at a high level. but a substantial portion of these new persons and their descendents do not integrate fully into society. they may well create in America some of the same social. political. and economic problems which exist in the countries from which they have chosen to depart. Furthermore. if language and cultural separatism rise above a certain level. the unity and political stability of the Nation willin timebe seriously eroded. Pluralism within a united American nation has been our greatest strength. That unity comes from a common language and a core public culture of certain shared values. beliefs. and customs. which make us distinctly Americans. Mr. President. three successive administrations have attempted to reform our Nations immigration laws. PETER RODINO. the deeply respected chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary. foresaw the problem more than 10 years ago when he guided immigration control legislation through both the 92d Congress and the 93d Congress. only to see both initiatives die here in the Senate. Had that legislation been enacted into law. we would not be facing some of the serious problems confronting us today. The Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy spent 2.1 years studying the problem. and this bill follows many of its recommendations. The Senate and House Subcommittee on Immigration held extensive hearings on every aspect of the issue and solicited the opinions of a diverse group of concerned individuals. On August 17. 1982. during the 97th session of Congress. the Senate passed the bill 80 to 19. displaying broad support from many different constituencies. In the 98th Congress. the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 76 to 18 on May 18. 1983. and the House under the yeoman leadership of my fine coworker and friend Congressman RON MAZZOLI. then passed the bill by a vote of 216 to 211 on June 20. 1984. While the bill later died at the end of the 98th Congress in a conference committee. this marked the first time in 20 years that both Houses of Congress had passed a major piece of immigration reform legislation. I sincerely believe that the framework of last years House and Senate bills represent the type of reform of U.S. immigration law and enforcement procedures which the American people desire and deserveand upon which Americas future depends. The bill which I am introducing today. the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1985. does contain some changes from previous versions of the immigration bill. However. I believe that these changes represent the culmination of a long learning and education process. and I believe that this bill is a better bill. I have removed some of the provisions which have seemed to be a less important part of the immigration debate. in order to focus our intentions on the most essential elements of the bill. Changes in our system of legal immigration and asylum adjudication have been deleted. In order to respond to the concerns of both the business community and those groups who fear a discriminatory effect from employer sanctions. I have made some corresponding changes in that section of the bill. Most important. I now believe it is necessary to assure the American public that the legalization of undocumented aliens will not lead to an increased flow of illegal immigrants. The most recent Gallup poll shows that only 35 percent of the American public supports legalization. and 55 percent oppose it. Last year. in the House of Representatives. an amendment to delete entirely the legalization provisions. failed by only 38 votes.