Speech #1010042996

I would like to conclude my remarks. Senator WILSON asked one of the critical questions of the debate in my mind. He said should we pit one group of immigrants against another. That is what he said. In the ideal world we would not and we would never. But let me tell you. ladies and gentlemen. in the real world right now. today. 2 million people are waiting in line for 270.000 visas. That is what is happening today. family and independent allocated in present law. current law. Given this reality and given the fact that visa demand cannot be ever matched by the supply of U.S. visas. I believe we must make some terribly difficult but necessary choices. and those choices are closer family members must be admitted before those more distant members are admitted. and by that I mean brothers and sistersinlaw and nieces and nephews. And two. we must admit more skilled independent immigrants because our system of legal immigration has been overwhelmed by family reunification which was never the intention. We have two areas of the world that send 85 percent of legal immigration to areas of the world. and we have come away from what is known and left us with positions of adversely affected countries. That is what has happened to it. So I say we must admit more of those.