Speech #1010246249

Mr. President. I want once again to express a great deal of appreciation to my colleague. the Senator from Wyoming. who is the ranking minority member of our Immigration Committee. and my colleague from Illinois. Senator SIMON. We have a small Immigration Committee. but it has taken immigration policy seriously over a very considerable period of time. We welcome the opportunity to bring back to the Senate what we believe is a very balanced and fair immigration conferernce report. We urge our colleagues to support this legislation. Like many pieces of legislation. this legislation has really been evolving over the period of the last 11 years. since 1979. when the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy was established. Three of the members of our Judiciary Committee. Senator SIMPsON. myself. and Senator DECONCINI. were members of that panel. that was chaired by Father Hesburgh. During the Commissions considerations. we addressed a variety of immigration questions. but primarily we were concerned with how this commission should best deal with illegal immigration policy and legal immigration policy. The legislation we are recommending tonight basically follows the recommendation of that select commission. which overwhelmingly endorsed the path that we are recommending here this evening. which puts the greatest emphasis and stress on the issue of family reunification. That has been an element. in terms of American immigration policy. since our beginning as a nation. It is one which I wholeheartedly support. And we also have a second path which would permit the entry of individuals who had some special skills. as well as individuals who come from countries who basically. for a variety of different reasons that I will not take the time to describe tonight. have no longer been a part of the immigration stream. When we talk about immigration policy. we talk about a policy that draws out great emotions and great passions. because what we are really talking about is how all of us basically arrived here. Whether it was 300 years ago or 100 years ago. it was immigration and immigration policy that really defined how America became America. The other aspect of this legislation which is so important is that we are providing a charter of how future Americans will become future Americans. This obviously draws on great passion.