Speech #990056850

Mr. Speaker. that is not to say that in the interest of a balanced policy that we should not recognize special circumstances that demand individualized treatment. Perishable commodities in agriculture which have for so long depended on a work force consisting of illegal immigrants may very well deserve such individualized consideration. Fnially. I believe the issue of immigration control has been considered for too long as strictly a domestic matter. Likewise. last years debate over the SimpsonMazzoli bill focused only on the need for the United States "to regain control of its borders" by instituting employer sanctions or by increasing border enforcement. What has become evident to me and the other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. however. is that immigration control is a multilateral issue between the United States and other nations. particularly those whose lesser developed economies and/or political turmoil contribute to the flow of emigrants. This view was confirmed by what the members of the caucus saw an heard on their trip to Latin America last December. On our stop in Mexico. we found that Mexican officials demonstrated a willingness to discuss important bilateral issues. including the problem of undocumented migration. Mr. Speaker. I would respectfully suggest that we. as a nation. should in our present consideration of immigration reform be fostering both public and private United States and Mexican. as well as other multilateral initiatives. as an important first step toward solving the worldwide illegal immigration problem. of which we are only a part. Such initiatives could include: First. a free trade and coproduction zone along the United StatesMexican border. second. a United StatesMexican bilateral commission. third. a Joint United StatesMexican development bank. and fourth. a multilateral commission on immigration. To look only to the domestic side of the immigration problem is to miss half the solution. We must expand our view and look for a total solution for if we do not we are bound to repeat the failures of the past. Mr. Speaker. there are clearly other components of S. 1200 that need consideration and careful review. I believe. however. that the potential stumbling block to passage of a Immigration Reform and Control Act at anytime in the near future. will arise from our failure to deal with the elements that I have outlined above in an honest. sensitive. and humanitarian way. We must have the capacity as legislators to step into the shoes of those who fear persecutions from their countries of origin. of those who want nothing more than to feed and educate their families and seek a better future. of those who have felt the anxiety and frustration of discrimination. of those who live in constant fear of exposure and thereby become the exploited. and thus to know the depth of their concerns. By the same token. we must be legislators who recognize disruptions to major industries and the economic consequences of our actions. to recognize the limitations of our Nation to provide for all people. and to legitimately recognize the integrity of our borders and the right to control them by effective law enforcement. To skew the scales disproportionately in either direction will only insure our failure once again. I sincerely hope this failure is averted. and I stand ready to work for immediate passage of a fair and equitable immigration reform bill. I thank you and the other members of the committee for your kind attention to my comments.