Speech #1040001347

Mr. Speaker. today. this first day of the 104th Congress. I am introducing a package of three immigration reform bills that deserve top priority as the new Congress works to make America a better place to live. As I am sure many of my colleagues in this body experienced on the campaign trail last year. Americans are deeply concerned about immigration and its impact on their lives. They are anxious about the changing face of this country and the problems associated with our system of immigration. I dont blame them. On any given day. there are countless news reports about the destructive consequences of our dysfunctional immigration policies. But one need not rely on the media for an understanding of this issue. as more and more Americans are getting firsthand knowledge of the illeffects of outofcontrol immigration. At the forefront of the immigration debate is illegal immigration. After all. many States. including my State of Arizona. have been hardpressed to find the resources required to deal with this growing problem. They have had to resort to filing suit against the Federal Government for reimbursement. And. let us not forget what took place in California last November. Through the passage of proposition 187. Californians overwhelmingly conveyed a message that they will no longer be the victims in the illegal immigration crisis. It is just a matter of time before other States follow Californias lead. These actions prove that the Congress has been negligent in its duty to put forth an immigration policy that is fair and responsible and in the best interests of the States and the American people. Through congressional inaction we have sent a message to other countries that our borders are insecure. that we dont have an interest in enforcing our laws. and that we have a never ending supply of public assistance benefits. We must act now to correct this perception. That is why I am introducing the Immigration Accountability Act of 1995. This bill goes to the heart of the illegal immigration crisis by prohibiting the payment of Federal benefits to illegals and ending the practice of conferring citizenship on the children of illegal aliens. In addition. the bill would strengthen our oftenabused asylum system by providing for the expeditious processing of meritorious claims and the prompt exclusion of those who attempt to defraud the system. Finally. the bill calls for a significant increase in the Border Patrol. By increasing our border security and eliminating these compelling illegal immigration incentives. I believe we can turn the tide of illegal immigration. Illegal immigration is a serious problem and I am delighted that many Members of the new Congress have expressed their willingness to confront it. However. there is another problem that is more complex. and just as pressing. I am referring to legal immigration. We are currently experiencing unprecedented levels of legal immigrants. perhaps 15 million in the 1990s. Through illconceived immigration laws. we are accommodating people in other countries who wish to live here with little regard for those already here. citizens and immigrants alike. Mr. Speaker. it is time to take a break. a temporary pause. from the uncontrolled immigration that has resulted in overcrowded schools and hospitals. scarce employment. inadequate housing. and a deteriorating standard of living. I am proposing. through the Immigration Moratorium Act of 1995. that we limit immigration to the spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens. legitimate refugees. and those immigrants who have been waiting in the immigration backlog for more than 10 years. This would bring our immigration numbers in line with the traditional U.S. average of about 297.000 per year. I am convinced that my moratorium bill would yield highly positive results. A moratorium would allow us to begin absorbing and assimilating the millions of newcomers who have settled here in recent years and also give us an opportunity to revamp our misguided and outdated policies to suit the realities of todays America. Furthermore. an additional benefit of a moratorium is that it would free up manpower and resources to deal with illegal immigration. I realize that some of my colleagues believe it to be politically unpopular to advocate a reduction in legal immigration. However. I would like to point out that as immigration levels have risen. so has public opinion turned against increased immigration. A CNN/USA Today poll found that 76 percent of Americans feel immigration should be stopped or reduced until the economy improves. And. all opinion surveys show that the sentiment to restore a more modest immigration flow is about as strong among noncitizens as among citizens. and among nonwhite Americans as among white Americans. I encourage the Members of this body to give these statistics serious consideration before abandoning the idea of reducing legal immigration. The last bill of my immigration reform package. the Immigrant Financial Responsibility and Sponsorship Act of 1995. is directed at rapidly growing immigrant welfare use. The percentage of immigrants below the poverty line is 50 percent higher than that of natives. Even more astonishing is that the estimated 1993 public assistance and services costs for immigrants was S10.42 billion. At a time when we are searching for ways to reform the welfare system in this country it would be foolish to let this costly trend continue. Under my bill. aliens would be required to demonstrate that they are unlikely to become a public charge. If they cannot do so. they will not be admitted to the United States unless a suitable sponsor gives a proper bond and guarantees financial responsibility for the alien. This is a reliable and fair way to ensure that those immigrants who wish to come to this country will not wind up on our alreadyoverburdened welfare rolls. Mr. Speaker. as Members of the U.S. Congress. we have an obligation to the American people to restore a sense of fairness and responsibility to our immigration laws. I believe that my bills take a significant step toward lullilling that obligation. I urge my colleagues to join me.