Speech #990278963

There is for example an economic disaster in Mexico. driving people northward just as surely as drought drove the Okies to California. But this bill in no way recognizes the need to deal with that economic problem. nor even study it. This is incredible. when we all know. beyond a shadow of a doubt. that surges of immigration is the surest index of desperation in the world. and always has been. There are a whole series of wars and political calamities in Central America. driving people by the thousands to seek refuge here. Even that is not recognized. in the tiniest way. not even the modest provisions so narrowly supported in the Moakley amendment. Further to the south there is savage repression in Chile. a savagery duplicated in other countries as well. all of which drives people toward us for shelter. But the bill does not in any way address those issues. The result is that the forces that create the problem in the first placethe 1965 immigration law. the economic and political scourges that we know about but would rather ignoreall are ignored here. And what is the sentiment of the majority who supported this bill last week. It is clear enough: vote after vote was to deny any form of help to aliens who come here out of desperation. vote after vote was to strengthen the hand of those who would exploit those same aliens.