Another aspect of this bill troubles me. This legislation does not take into consideration foreign policy concerns. It attempts to deal with immigration reform. not at the border. or before the border. where the problem begins. but over the border. where enforcement is much more difficult and much less permanent. There is a provision in this bill. however. which at least recognizes the effect that our foreign policy has on the flow of refugees to this country. It is that section that would extend extended voluntary departure status to Nicaraguan and Salvadoran refugees until such time as the turmoil in their nations has quieted. Again. any attempt to strike this provision from the bill would greatly weaken the overall legislation. Finally. Mr. Chairman. as I and so many others before me have said. this is a nation of immigrants. There is not one of us in this Chamber who cannot trace their ancestry. at least part of it. to another part of the world. We are the product of adventurers. reformers. castoffs. and slaves. Yet. we have beaten the odds and defied those who turned their backs on our ancestors by creating this. the greatest Nation in the world. a nation not built on royalty or aristocracy but on pride and heart. We have been able to create such a great Nation because our Nation. as symbolized by the Statue of Liberty. has been receptive to the flow of immigrants. We have not been afraid to open our doors. We are not a homogenous nation. thank God.
Keywords matched
immigration immigrants refugees