I received a letter from Gov. Michael Castle. chairman of the National Governors Associations Committee on Human Resources on May 2. 1986. In that letter Governor Castle states that this legislation "is an appropriate activity to celebrate the centennial and the restoration of the Statue of Liberty." Between 1892 and 1954. more than 17 million immigrantswhich include the fathers and mothers of many of yousailed by our great symbol of freedom. hope. and opportunitythe Statue of Libertyon their way to the immigration station at Ellis Island. Ellis Island was the gateway to their future and today. 40 percent of all Americans can trace their ancestry through Ellis Island. In my mind. there is no better way on Liberty weekend to demonstrate our pride in our heritage and express our hope in the future of this country than by welcoming into our family new citizens from each of our States and territories. I urge my colleagues support and cooperation in enacting this measure expeditiously because the cutoff date for submission of nominees for the naturalization ceremony is June 1. 1986. Because of time constraints related to the implementation of this legislation. it is expected that INS will submit a list of qualified naturalization applicants to each of the Governors as soon as possible after the enactment of this legislation. In this regard. it is my understanding that the National Governors Association could be utilized to play a coordinating role in the submission of the final selections to the Department of Justice prior to the June cutoff date.
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