Speech #990084604

Mr. President. S. 1200 contains. most importantly. provisions intended to reduce the problem of illegal immigration. I say "most importantly" since the potential benefits and protections of even the most carefully designed statutory standards for determining who may enter the United States. as well as for how long and under what conditions they may remain. will not be available in practice if those statutory standards cannot be enforced. Mr. President. the American people want reform. Poll after poll discloses that the American people overwhelmingly wish to see illegal immigration brought under control. Why is that? In these past several years. I have been involved in the discovery of the significance of this fact. and I have learned that the concern of the American people is well founded. In my supplemental statement to the final report of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy. in my statements to this body over the past 3 years. and elsewhere. I have attempted to discuss the problems which must be solved. S. 1200 is the proposed solution. It is the product of so many. many persons over the past 6 yearsof all the faiths and philosophies. Mr. President. there can be no perfect immigration reform bill. We saw that. We know that.