Speech #1000151482

Many others brought few skills. but were willing to work. A smaller America with a simpler laborintensive economy and a labor shortage. that was often quite enoughthat. plus their great drive to become Americans. Immigrants can still greatly benefit America. but only if they are limited to an appropriate number and selected within that number on the basis of qualities which would truly benefit America. I believe that a necessary feature of any immigration policy which is in the national interest is the establishment of a national level of immigration. With the exception of unexpected refugee emergencies. I believe that this Nation should accept immigrants within a national level based on the economic and social impacts of immigration. I also believe that number should be reviewed and revised carefully on a regular basis consistent with U.S. national interests. Current law does not provide for an overall level of immigration. and our overall flow of immigrants. excluding refugees. has been growing at the rate of about 15.000 persons per year. This bill will establish a national level of immigration. it will require annual reports on the effects of immigration. and it will require the Attorney General to make recommendations to the Congress on an appropriate level of immigration every 3 years. I do not in any way wish to reduce legal immigration. In fact. increased immigration may well be in the national interest. However. I am also aware that opinion polls indicate that most Americans believe that current legal immigration should be reduced or kept at the same level. I therefore feel that. while we have reduced illegal immigration through employer sanctions. the Congress should be cautious in setting a higher level of legal immigration until we have more information regarding the social and economic impacts of immigration. Major research studies are currently under way on this issue which. together with the annual reports required by this bill. will provide useful information to Congress when we review the level of immigration in 3 years. The bill establishes a national level of immigration at the current legal flow of 510.000. plus an additional 80.000 to be used to reduce the backlogs in categories which are eliminated under the legislation. and to provide for a new group of "classic immigrants"-those who so originally stirred our senses and our patriotismwho will be selected under a point system. The national level of immigration set by this legislation exceeds the estimated level of 1egal immigratior during fiscal year 10187 by 80.000. However. at the end of 1986. Congress enacted the Immigration and Control Act. and preliminary evidence shows that overall illegal immigration has since been reduced. The most reliable study to date. which compared border apprehensions to the number of man hours devoted to enforcement by the border patrol. found a 27percent reduction in illegal entries. Given this funding. illegal immigration might be down by 81.000 to 135.000 persons per yearassuming net illegal immigration of 300.000 to 500.000 persons per year. Therefore. the overall effects of the new immigration law and the proposed legal immigration reform bill should not result in increased immigration to the United States. Once we establish a national level of immigration. it is so important that we develop a system that chooses immigrants within that level who best serve the national interest. Today. approximately 90 percent of all immigrants come to the United States only because they have a family connection here. Only 10 percent are admitted because they possess skills that are specifically needed by U.S. employers or skills that the Government has determined would well serve our society. These 10 percent are the only immigrants for whom we search our labor market to determine whether their presence would have an adverse effect on U.S. workers. I believe that legal immigration in this manner does not serve the national interest as well as it could. and that it is seriously in need of revision. Familyconnected immigration would remain an essential component of this legislation. Indeed. the lions share of visas69 percentwould still be distributed to immigrants who wish to join their immediate family members. However. I believe that we must recognize that immediate family members should encompass only the following relations: the parents. children. and spouses of U.S. citizens. and the spouses and children of permanent resident aliens. Today. nearly 2 million persons waitsometimes for many yearsto immigrate legally to the United States. 1.7 million of these "backlogged" immigrants are the brothers. sisters. brothersinlaw. sistersinlaw. nieces. and nephews of U.S. citizens. Over 70.000 of the 216.000 numerically limited family visas that our current system allocates each year go to these more distant relatives. To again quote father Hesburghs remarks introducing the select commissions final report: There is something wrong with a law that keeps outfor as long as 8 yearsthe small child of a mother or father who has settled in the United States while a nonrelative or less close relative from another country can come in immediately. I propose that we continue to grant nearly 70 percent of all legal immigrant visas to the immediate family groups that I have described above. but that the more distant relatives not receive further treatment with automatic immigration rights to the United States. In addition. I believe that a much greater number and proportion of immigrants should be admitted because they bring skills. qualities. traits. and attributes which are in the national interest. Instead of only 10 percent of all immigrantsor 54.000 per yearbeing admitted because of their skills. I believe that 30 percentor 180.000 per yearshould be admitted on these grounds. My legislation would create a separate category of independent immigrants and guarantee them 180.000 visas per year. Not only will this new independent category serve our Nations interest more faithfully. but as Father Hesburgh noted. " * * this category will provide immigration opportunities for those persons who come from countries where immigration to the United States has not been recent or from countries that have no immigration base here." The new independent category would provide visas to aliens who have been requested by U.S. employers and which the Department of Labor has certified would not displace or adversely affect U.S. workers. The independent category would also provide 80.000 visas per year to aliens who would be chosen based on the qualities that historically have ensured that the alien will prosper in our country and benefit the nation as a whole: age. education. language and citizenship skills. and labor market skills. I believe the preservation of immigration for the closest family members while providing for new independent immigration will only improve on the already significant contributions that immigrants have made to our country. I look forward to working with Senator KENNEDY and with Congressman SCHUMER in processing this bill. I also would note that many of the provisions in both this bill and Senator KENNEDYS bill come from legislation that Congressman RoN MAZZOLi and I introduced in 1982the first immigration reform bill. I greatly look forward to working with RON MAZZOLi again and with the other fine members of his subcommittee: PAT SWINDALL. the very articulate and able new ranking Republican of the subcommittee. BILL