Speech #1010216646

I think it is important to point out. is a very interesting coalition of peopThe AFLCIO is oppoF . to this amendment. the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is opposed to this amendment. the U.S. Catholic Conference is opposed to the amendment. and so is the National Association of Manufacturers. the Irish Immigration Reform movement. the National Council of LaRaza. and many. many others. Why are they opposed to this amendment? Because for the first time ever this amendment would impose a cap on immigrants that counts within the numbers the spouses and the minor children of U.S. citizens. thereby impacting on every other form of immigration based on the number of spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens. This is not rolling back something that was done in this bill. This is not some targeted effort to try to deal with something the gentleman thinks is not appropriate in this bill. This is an effort to set a precedentshattering cap covering U.S. citizens for the first time that can wipe out employersponsored immigration. diversity immigration. and increase dramatically the backlog of family preference immigration. The gentleman has spent a great deal of time talking about the importance of skillbased immigration and testifying to his belief in that. Nothing could be more destructive of the effort we are trying to make in this bill or even in existing law in permitting these kinds of very limited amendments than placing this kind of a cap on the bill. All sides and all parties involved in this legislation feel very strongly that this amendment is a terribly destructive one.