Mr. President. I am concerned about the increased levels of immigrants that would be admitted into this country under this amended version. The original bill. as reported. would have established a national level of immigration at 600.000. 22 percent above the current legal limits. I agree with that approach. No one can argue that the wonderful strength and diversity brought to this Nation historically by immigrants following the promise of freedom is a pillar of our national heritage. But. the amended bill before us would increase the national level of immigration to almost 900.000. Now is not the time to move in this direction. Reality has to chart our course. We must consider the economic conditions of the United States. As is the case in my home State of West Virginia. there are areas of this country that are in no shape economically. to address the increase of immigrants that this legislation will provide. America has been a traditionally generous country. We provide unrestricted visas to the immediate family members of U.S. citizens. but in developing our national immigration policies. our first consideration should be that of developing America and providing jobs for our own citizens. I believe we must focus on our own national interest at this time. We must ask ourselves how many more people our country will be able to accommodate.
Keywords matched
immigration immigrants visas