Speech #990274851

I do not think the Rules Committee got the lollipop on this rule. either. They got a can of castor oil and they are trying to have all of us gulp it down and get this bill passed. I support immigration reform. I do not think this bill is immigration reform. This bill is really the triple amnesty bill. First we have regular amnesty for illegal aliens who have been here since January 1983. much more generous than the Hessberg Commission recommended. Second. the bill has MoakleyDiConcini amnesty for Salvadorians and Nicaraguans. and third. the bill has Schumer amnesty for temporary agricultural workers who have been here. working for some time during the last 3 years. Now I would like to see an immigration bill come up. but I think that since this is our one opportunity. we had better do it right. and this rule does not allow the membership of the House of Representatives to do it right. I am going to ask the membership to vote down the previous question so that I can offer an amendment to the rule which first will allow a motion to strike the Schumer provisions. There is no motion to strike allowed in this rule. so that way. if you vote for immigration reform. you vote for legalizing all of these people who have come into our country to temporarily serve as agricultural workers. and granting them permanent residence eventually means that they will be able to petition in their relatives and Lord knows how many more aliens will come into the country. Second. I think that certain issues that are made in order by the Committee on Rules. such as my amendment to strike the Frank antidiscrimination provisions and the amendment of the gentleman from Florida to strike the legalization program. really deserve more than 20 minutes debate. because they are very serious changes in policy. My purpose is not to filibuster. I think that 30 or 40 or 60 minutes of total debate will allow everybody who wants to be heard on these questions to be able to speak their peace. and for the House to vote thoroughly informed. but the 20minute restriction on these types of amendments certainly is not going to allow the debate to take place that really ought to. So I would hope that the membership would vote down the previous question so we can get a proper rule to pass true immigration reform rather than the triple amnesty bill which this rule practically forces us to vote on.