Speech #990184082

I happen to think some Members. perhaps secretly. perhaps not so secretly. applauded us losing out to time. Some did not make that very quiet. but nonetheless. time is what defeated us. Many of us were absolutely concerned that if we were going to move on immigration reform. we had to move in this Congress. quickly. so we could avoid the time problem. So during the confirmation hearings of Edwin Meese. on January 29. January 30 and January 31 of 1985. in response to questions posed to him by Senator ALAN SIMPSON concerning the need for immigration reform. the prospective then and current Attorney General of the United States said this: "Senator. it is a major problem. I would be interested in continuing the efforts that the Justice Department has initiated * ** [on achieving] sensible. nondiscriminatory immigration reform." As we all know. there was a period of time of delay of the actual confirmation of Edwin Meese. and so during that time Attorney General of the United States. William French Smith. continued to show his support for it. After Edwin Meese was confirmed. on May 27. 1985. the Attorney General said in a press release on the Senate immigration bill. S. 1200: "Now is time for the Congress to act to give this nation the ability to regain control of its border." On June 24. 1985. Attorney General Edwin Meese III testified in support of the bill before Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Policy. On September 5. 1985. a statement of principles in favor of a separate guestworker program for perishable commodities issued by Departments of Justice. Agriculture and Labor.