Speech #1010042966

They are not asking us to do this. To the contrary. let us not impose upon them a parameter that they have not sought and that does not exist in current law. Family reunification is a concern not just with respect to the minor children. the spouses. the parents. It does involve brothers and sisters. It does involve other members of the family. And that has certainly been the experience in my State. So I would say. with the greatest respect in the world for the extraordinary service provided by my friend. the Senator from Wyoming. who is motivated both by a genuine concern for his country and by what he feels. to be fairness. that. respectfully. those of us who support this amendment disagree to the extent that we feel that fairness requires that there be allocated to other family members than the Immediate relatives a floor that will protect their immigration. Without that floor. without this amendment. we see them by the turn of the century no longer able to come to this Nation. One of the things in this great American ambivalence to immigration is that when we get here. those of us who are the sons and daughters of Immigrants. many times we feel it is time to haul up the ladder. It is true that no nation can lose control of its borders. though I have to tell you that I think that we have in certain respects and they are obvious. But what is also true is that in every generation. this Nation has received an incredible infusion of energy and brains and guts and drive that has made this Nation the richest and strongest and the best in the world because our richest resource has been our people and in many cases some of the very newest Americans. the most recent arrivals. So I will simply say to you that I think that we should continue a wise policy of immigration that permits us to continue to benefit in that fashion. It is in the tradition of this Nation. I would simply say that this amendment is fair. It seeks equity as many of us think it is required to be practiced so that we do not too narrowly define the favored class in family reunification. Mr. President.