Speech #990081289

Mr. President. I rise in support of S. 1200the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1985. This bill is the result of a 12year effort to reform the immigration laws of the United States. It is a streamlined version of the measures that have passed in both of the last two Congresses by wide margins: In the 97th Congress by a vote of 80 to 19. in the 98th Congress by a vote of 76 to 18. Last year. the House narrowly passed a proposal of its own and the bills went to conference. Unfortunately. time ran out before a final resolution on all issues could be reached. Hopefully. this long overdue measure can move quickly through the legislative process to final enactment during this Congress. Special credit must go to Senator SIMPSON as chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Policy for bringing us to this point. He has worked ceaselessly to balance many divergent interests and. at the same time. craft a bill that will enable us to bring illegal immigration under control. The Judiciary Committee considered the bill over the course of four executive sessions. Ten amendments were discussed. six of which were adopted. S. 1200 was reported out favorably by a vote of 12 to 5 on July 30. The bill makes major reforms in immigration law that should increase significantly our ability to control the borders of this country. It is strongly supported by the administration. I urge the Senate to demonstrate. once again. its commitment to this critical issue so this bill can be enacted at the earliest possible time. Mr. President. as pointed out in the committee report on this bill. no other country in the world attracts potential migrants as does the United States. and no other country approaches the United States in the number of legal immigrants accepted and refugees permanently resettled. Such has been the case throughout our history. It is a tradition of which we are justly proud. On the other hand. it is common knowledge that immigration to the United States. including illegal entrants estimated to be in the millions. is out of control. In the last 9 years. total immigration to the United States increased from 450.000 in 1976 to 510.000 in 1984. with a peak of 800.000 in 1980. counting the Cuban and Haitian entrants during that year. During the same 9year period. immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. for which there is no numerical limitation. increased from 114.000 to 177.000. Refugee admissions. also not subject to a fixed ceiling. have ballooned from 5.000 in 1977. to as high as 200.000 in 1980. 161.000 in 1981. and 68.000 in 1984. Notwithstanding the 1984 decrease in refugees. the United States continues to take more immigrants and refugees for resettlement than the rest of the world combined. In addition. hundreds of thousands of illegal entrants come into the United States every year. While the total number of illegal aliens in the country is unknown. the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy estimated the figure to be between 3.5 and 6 million for 1978. The number is surely much larger today. Mr. President. there was a time when the Nation could welcome millions of newcomers without jeopardizIng the national interest. Such is not the case today in a complex industrial society with considerable unemployment and a need for specialized skills. This billwhile recognizing the great benefits this country obtains from new migrantstries to come to grips with the necessity that they be limited to an appropriate number. and be selected within that number based on family reunification priorities and preferences for skills needed in a highly developed country. This necessitates that illegal entrants into the United States be brought under control. The pending measure takes a number of different approaches to reform the immigration laws. First. the bill contains provisions to increase control over illegal immigration. The primary incentive for illegal immigration is the availability of U.S. employment. This bill makes unlawful the knowing employment. or the recruitment or referral for a fee. of illegal aliens. It also provides for a system to verify work eligibility and establishes substantial civil penalties for violations. Should a pattern or practice of violations subsequent to the imposition of a penalty for a prior pattern or practice of violations be found. then a criminal penalty may be imposed. The bill also established new crimes for certain activities involving fraudulent documents and for bringing illegal aliens to the United States. It further states the sense of the Congress that the resources for border patrol and other enforcement activities should be increased. For this purpose. $840 million for fiscal year 1987. and $830 million for fiscal year 1988. are authorized for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Second. certain improvements are directed at nonimmigrant categories. The bill provides for a special. streamlined procedure for H2 seasonal workers based on the compromise reached by the conference committee in the last Congress. In addition. a 3year agricultural transition program is provided to enable agricultural employers to adjust gradually to the new system. The bill also establishes a 12member Agricultural Workers Commission to report within 2 years to Congress with specific legislative recommendations regarding the appropriate form of U.S. temporary worker programs. Further. special immigration benefits are provided for certain children and the surviving spouse of an employee of an international organization and retired employees of such organizations who have been in the United States many years. A pilot visa waiver program is authorized for up to eight countries with low rates of visa denial and exclusion. Third. the bill provides for a onetime legalization program to deal with the large group of illegal aliens in this country who have been here long enough to have built up certain equities. A Presidentially appointed Legalization Commission. composed of nine members committed to the concept of legalization. is established to determine that enforcement mechanisms are in place to curtail illegal immigration. Legalization procedures are then triggered. Regardless. legalization will begin no later than 3 years after enactment of this legislation. Once legalization is begun. certain illegal aliens who physically have been present in the United States since the date of enactment. and have continuously resided In the United States since before January 1. 1980. may apply for legal temporary resident status. Such persons may adjust to permanent resident status after 3 years from the date they are granted temporary residence. if they satisfy a minimum English language requirement and have a minimum knowledge of U.S. history and Government. or are enrolled in a program to acquire such knowledge. Such temporary residents will not be eligible for Federal financial benefits.