Speech #990274925

Mr. Chairman. I welcome the opportunity to join with a number of my colleagues in speaking in support of this legislationH.R. 3810. the immigration reform bill. Since the House on September 26. failed to agree to the rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 3810. the immigration reform bill. several of my colleagues and I have continued to meet in hopes of reconciling the controversial issues surrounding the agricultural labor provisions contained in the bill. Majority and minority Members in both the House and Senate have been meeting in close consultation to produce the agriculture agreement in the bill we have before us today. This agreement is the result of many hours of discussion on this issue with the hope of developing a compromise which would meet the major concerns of interested Members necessary for bipartisan support. As you can imagine. this has been no easy task. However. we continued to spend what little time we have still remaining in this Congress in these negotiations with one common objective in mindthat we complete immigration reform legislation this year before we adjourn. We are at a time of crisis in the enforcement of our immigration laws. The public perception that immigration is out of control is. unfortunately. a correct perception. No legislation before this Congress is of higher priority. An immigration reform bill has been pending before Congress. in some form. for nearly 6 years since the select commission reported its findings and made its recommendations to the Congress. The Senate in three successive Congresses passed this legislation. If we fail to enact reform in this Congress. I fear that when a later Congress considers immigration reform. it will produce a bill which will be narrow and restrictive. It will be driven toward passage by what then will be the pentup frustration of the American people. I believe. then. that it is essential that we regain control of our borders if we are to have any hope whatsoever of avoiding a repressive public reaction that will fail to distinguish lawful immigrants and refugees from illegal aliens. At stake may be nothing less than a compassionate immigration policy. The American people in the face of an illegal immigration crisis should not lose sight of the fact that immigrants have been a great source of this countrys strength. and refugees have made an immense contribution to our society. But huge numbers of illegal aliens rushing past our borders may have already started to blur that understanding. I believe this legislation we have before us today contains the essential provisions needed to cope with illegal immigration. Most of us who have been intimately involved in the debate are firmly convinced that employer sanctions and legalization are necessarily intertwined. and that no bill can pass without a marriage of the two concepts. Historically. the concept of employer sanctions has received the support of a number of administrations. has received favorable votes time and again in both Houses of Congress. and it is a view which was endorsed overwhelmingly by the diverse membership of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy. In my opinion. it is the only effective option available to demagnetize the lure of jobs in the United States. This legalization. finally. recognizes that substantial numbers of illegal aliens are here to stay and responds realistically and humanely to their plight. At the same time that we act with firmness to deter future illegal entry. we must display compassion in our treatment of those aliens who have become a part of our society. The conferral of legal status on undocumented aliens with years of U.S. residence will permit this population to come out of the shadows and contribute more to our country. The select commission. by a 16to0 vote. favored a legalization program as part of its enforcement package. Precedents in U.S. law for legalizing the status of undocumented aliens can be found in the registry datewhich serves as a statute of limitations on illegal entryand the discretionary remedy of suspension of deportation. In approaching legalization. we must attempt to strike an appropriate compromise between the views of those who would eliminate the legalization provisions entirelyand those who would provide lawful permanent resident status to those who only recently entered. A failure to provide a substantial legalization ignores the equities of persons who have lived in the United States for a number of years. A legalization that is excessively generous. on the other hand. may serve as too strong a magnet to further illegal flows. Ultimately. without comprehensive immigration reform. we run the risk of losing political support for our historic humanitarian commitment to facilitating family reunification and offering haven to those fleeing persecution. When we bring family members together. and when we assist the victims of oppression to reconstruct shattered lives. we reaffirm our regard for basic human rights. This is the principle for which the United States has stood for many generations. Chairman RODINO. along with Senator ALAN SIMPSON. Congressman MAZZOLI. Congressman LUNGREN and I. met with the President at the White House on the subject of immigration reform earlier this year. It was a very fruitful meeting and the President unequivocably lent his support to the adoption of immigration reform legislation. The Attorney General of the United States echoed this position when he appeared before the full Judiciary Committee in March. Many of us who have worked long and hard to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation. welcome the Presidents endorsement and applaud him and the Attorney General for assuming a leadership role. Time is of the essence. Apprehensions along our southern borders have shot up dramatically in the first several months of 1986. as compared to 1985. As of September 30 of this year. the Immigration Service has apprehended 1.7 million undocumented aliens. This is almost double the amount apprehended in all of 1980. when the number of apprehensions was approximately 900.000 undocumented aliens. We are seeing aliens from many countries. not just from Mexico. In addition. as our maritime interdictions of drug trafficking continue to increase. more and more drugs are brought by !and routes particularly across our southern border. Violence is also on the upswing. It is essential that we have immigration reform legislation enacted into law before its too latetherefore. I am hopeful that we can give the President a bill to sign on immigration reform before the end of this year. Mr. Chairman. I plan to offer an amendment to strike a provision in the bill which grants extended voluntary departure to Salvadorans and Nicaraguans. This provision requires the General Accounting Office [GAO] to conduct an investigation. beginning within 60 days of enactment. concerning the number. conditions. and impact of displaced persons within El Salvador and Nicaragua. particularly those returned to these countries from the United States. In addition. this provision prohibits detention and deportation to El Salvador. Salvadoran and Nicaraguan nationals continuously present in the United States from the date of enactment until 270 days after GAO transmits its report. I oppose this provision because I believe that granting such status is inappropriate for illegal aliens from El Salvador and Nicaragua. Repeated studies of the treatment and condition of deported Salvadorans have disclosed no persecution upon their return to El Salvador. The Intergovernmental Committee for Migration (1CMI. meets every Salvadoran who has been sent home by the United States. and offers resettlement and counseling assistance. Since December 1983. ICM has assisted over 7.000 returnees and has not reported a single case of political persecution. In addition. we already have all the information requested by the GAO report. Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980. to supplant the piecemeal and nationspecific legislation for refugees. for example. legislation for Cubans. and so on. Prior to 1981. refugees were parolled into the United States following consultation with Congress. But. this provision that has now been added to the immigration reform bill circumvents this system by creating a special system for handling Salvadorans and Nicaraguans in the next 2 years while waiting for the GAO report. In addition. it raises the prospect that a stream of Salvadorans and Nicaraguans will illicitly enter the United States. Exactly what this immigration bill is trying to stop. I urge my colleagues to support me in striking this amendment. Mr. Chairman. there are a number of other controversial issues which must be resolved so as to achieve meaningful immigration reform. Any one of these issues could stall this important legislation. However. it is my hope that as we begin debate. Members will put the public interest above regional or special interests. This may be our last opportunity for comprehensive immigration reform before the problems at our borders preclude compassionate solutions rather than radical actions. Mr. Chairman.