Speech #1030086957

But the reason I came here to talk about this amendment is that I. too. think we should spend more money on education. I support this senseoftheSenate resolution. I think we should all understand that unless we change one basic problem we have in this country todaythat is. our immigration policywe are not going to have money for anything. I introduced a bill right before the August break to change the way we handle immigration in this country. Madam President. in March of this year. Tom Brokaw asserted that immigration was likely to become the most important issue facing the United States. Referring to our countrys immigration dilemma. Brokaw stated. "We do have to settle on a number of immigrants to admit. We have to settle on conditions and penalties and adhere to them. All of us as citizens and employers. we can still light the lamp. but we must remember we are a Nation of laws." Madam President. it is clear to me that programs like this. like educating our children. will never be able to be done adequately unless we do something about immigration. The State of California. as an example. would have to build one new school each day to take care of the immigrants coming into California. They cannot do it. It Is clear to me. and I think just about anyone elseespecially those who have looked at the U.S. immigration laws and the institutional apparatus of managementthat we are ill equipped to deal with immigration as a critical national issue. I think that is wrong. It is for this reason that I introduced the Immigration Stabilization Act of 1993. which I believe will prepare this Nation for dealing with Immigration in a rational. coherent manner. Madam President. in addition to dealing with immigration in a rational manner. it will also resolve many other problems we have dealing with financing the problems this country faces. The two most important questions that can be asked about legal immigration policy will be: How many people are we going to admit. and who are they going to be? Any immigration policy. short of an open door. will require setting limits and making tough choices among the millions of people around the world who would like to immigrate to the United States. As we speak. the U.N. High Commission for Refugees recognizes over 19 million political refugees worldwide. Global population is increasing at a rate of a billion a decade. and the U.N. Population Fund recently noted that more people are moving or seeking to move than at any time in the history of the human race.