Speech #1010249380

I did not think it was a good bill. But I am very. very pleased with the product that came out of the conference committee. and I support this bill today. this conference report. I think it is a major advance in the reform of legal immigration. and I urge my colleagues to vote for it. I have been one of the leading proponents of legal immigration reform for a long time. I was very much opposed to some of the illegal immigration provisions that were in the 1986 law which were amnesty- and legislationoriented. but when we came to this bill and got to the conference committee. those provisions that were true amnesty were reduced to only those who are the children. minor children. and spouses of those who were legalized in 1986 and who were here on or before May 5. 1988. so that does not concern me in the scope of things nearly as much as the good things that are in this bill. The good things. and the really good things. center on two or three areas. One of them is we now have a provision under this new law that will provide for a whole lot of new seed immigrants. people who do not have those family connections. We still protect the family unification principles. but for a long time that family unification squeezed out all of the possibility of seed immigrants. Under what is being adopted here tonight. we will be able to have 55.000 seed immigrants in the diversity category who have not been able to come here before who will have educational skills. and so forth. that do not have family connections. and we will be able to have 140.000 new skilled workers able to come here who do not have the family connections. I think it is very important that we have these skilled immigrants. In addition. this bill does reform the areas of laws that have been long overdue to allow the Justice Department to deport those who are here illegally and who are criminals and who have been in our Jails for years in many cases. I think the improvement of the deportation provisions alone might well justify the passage of this law. Then. in addition to all of that. we have in this bill major reforms that go to the heart of the visa system and the way that that is conducted for the ordinary events of bringing people here on a temporary basis that I approve of. So all in all. I must say this is an extraordinary accomplishment. I disagree with the temporary stay provisions that are incorporated here under the title of extended voluntary departure. but that was reduced and minimized in the conference considerably from what left the floor. and overall the positive things about this bill far outweigh the negatives considering what we are doing to have a major reform in legal immigration that will pass with this conference report tonight. I urge my colleagues to vote "aye" on the conference report. vote "aye" for some very positive reform of immigration laws and be thankful that we have a conference ability here that puts two opposites together and can come out with a very fine product like we did in this case.