Speech #990281311

Congressman PANETTA. and Congressman LUNGREN fashioned a proposal for temporary agricultural workers and then permanent resident aliens in agriculture. It grants temporary status to those who have performed 90 mandays of labor in agriculture alone during the previous 3 years in the United Statesthat must be 3 consecutive yearswith the opportunity to convert to permanent residence after that time. I think it would be interesting for you to know that Mexican nationals who come to the United States and obtain permanent resident alien statuswhich would then enable them to go into citizenship after 5 yearsthat the statistics of those who determined to go on to naturalize as U.S. citizens is between 5 and 12 percent. They do not go on to naturalize because they prefer to retain their citizenship of the United States of Mexico and yet have the full labor protection of working in the United States with a green card under permanent resident alien status. So I share that with you if you come to a concern about numbers. that through our history only 5 to 12 percent of these permanent resident aliens with 5 years or more already in toward citizenship ever go on to naturalize. There is another provision that would create a new antidiscrimination agency in the Justice Department. It will be under the control of the Attorney General.