Speech #1000149003

Mr. President. I am pleased to join my good friend from Massachusetts in introducing this bill today that will extend the application period for legalization under the new immigration law for I year. The extension of the application period until May 4. 1989. Is a reasonable and necessary step to assure that all undocumented persons who have arrived in the United States prior to January 1. 1982. will have the opportunity to legalize their status. My colleagues may recall that on the first year anniversary of the Presidents signing of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 into law I expressed my concern that the legalization program may not achieve the goals we intended because many people who appear to qualify for legalization are not coming forward to apply. For a State such as California. where an estimated half of the undocumented population of the country reside. the failure of the legalization programsfor persons who have arrived in the United States prior to January 1. 1982. as well as for farmworkers who could apply for legalization under the Special Agricultural Workers Programcould have a significant negative social and economic impact. In my remarks on November 6. 1987. I specifically noted that many undocumented immigrants who appear to meet the legalization criteria are not applying for legalization because they fear that their ineligible family members will be deported. I pointed out that the policy announced by the Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS] last fall to address this situation did not resolve the problem because it did not provide adequate assurance that families will not be separated. Although I joined eight other Senators in urging INS to change its policy. as of this date INS has refused to do so. In addition to the fear of family separation. I have been informed that many apparently eligible individuals are not applying for legalization because of the cost of the application process. the difficulty of gathering the necessary documentation. and the lack of information regarding the legalization program. A number of groups and individuals have complained that the legalization program got off to a slow start. and that many undocumented people are still confused as to whether they qualify for legalization. The fact that INS has changed and modified Its regulations pertaining to eligibility for legalization has contributed to this confusion. I am especially concerned about the failure of the Asian Pacific community to participate in the legalization program. In an editorial which appeared in the Los Angeles Times. November 17. 1987. entitled "Circumstances of Asians Call for Amnesty Extension." the author pointed out that: It Is estimated that in Southern California alone. there are 100.000 to 150.000 undocumented Asian Pacifies. Yet In the INS entire Western Region (Arizona. California. Hawaii and Nevada) only 29.000 Asian Pacific applications have been filed. The author goes on to make a point which has been stressed to me over and over again by State government agencies. church organizations. unions. employers. and the undocumented themselves: The INS has already reached the easytoreach immigrant: it is the underground immigrantsthose suffering the mostwho have yet to apply. It takes time and effort to get the word out to these people. Simply to suggest that a year has passed since the act was passed does not satisfactorily resolve problems of communication. policy and documentation.