Speech #990278924

It is ephemeral. In a sense. we are deluding ourselves if we try to convince the public that it is real. I believe that is a fraud on the public. because the fact is that forged immigration documents such as birth certificates. marriage certificates. confirmation documents. employment records. rent receipts. and Social Security documents. are all available in a neat package for about $200 or $250 anywhere in the Southwest. Any illegal alien in this country. regardless when he came here. can prove that he came over not only before January 1. 1982. but he can prove he came over on the Mayflower. if that suits his purpose. So I believe we have to look at the pool of potential applicants for amnesty as being the entire illegal alien population in the United States. I. for one. think that is good. because I do not think we ought to have two groups in our society: one group of illegal immigrants who can receive all the benefits and privileges and glories of American citizenship. and another group to whom we say. "No. you got here too late. You are here and we are not going to send you home. but you got here too late to be bona fide American citizens." I do not think that is healthy and in a sense I think it is right that they are all going to be eligible. but we should not delude ourselves that the only eligible group is the preJanuary 1. 1982 group. Mr. Speaker. the prospect of U.S. citizenship and legalization. regardless of whether there is a job or not at the end of the line. regardless of the existence of employer sanctions. is a powerful magnet. The magnet of the American way of life. the magnet of freedom from oppression. freedom of speech. of a decent life in a decent caring society and the chance to get a job. legally or illegally. is going to be such an incentive that if we do not do something to harden and regularize our porous borders. borders that Senator SIMPSON has accurately described as out of control. this country is going to see an inundation and an explosion of illegal immigration far above and beyond the 2 million a year we face now. One of the reasons that I have some confidence in this bill is that we did agree to a 50percent increase in authorization for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. but I believe that is just a drop in the bucket. I believe that we are going to have to get to work next year and sit down and put together a plan of border control that really makes sense and that really will stop the overwhelming percentage of illegals from crossing our borders. We have a great tradition and a noble tradition of welcoming immigrants. but we ought to do it legally. There are millions of people who want to come to our country who have filed. who have followed our laws and who are standing in line. We ought to be in control of that flow.