Speech #1040192286

Mr. Chairman. much of the debate that we have had over the last 2 days Is a discussion of what steps we should take to address the serious illegal Immigration problem facing our Nation. That Is an Important debate. and I welcome it. There may be differences In this Chamber about what steps will be most effective In addressing the problem of Illegal Immigration. but we are In agreement that we must act and act quickly. We should complete the illegal immigration debate and send legislation to the President. I rise in strong support of the amendment being offered by Mr. CHRYSLER. Mr. BERMAN. and Mr. BROWNBACK because I firmly believe that we should separately address the far more controversial and questionable contention that legal Immigration Is having a negative Impact on the United States. The House should affirm. as the Senate Judiciary Committee has. that It Is absolutely inappropriate to view legal immigration as a part of the same problem as Illegal Immigration. When we talk about legal immigrants. we are talking about individuals who have waited patiently to enter our Nation. who have come here and contributed a tremendous amount to our society. our economy. and our tax base. I would call my colleagues attention to observations made by the chairman of the Federal National Mortgage Association. James Johnson. in assessing the results of a recent survey by the association. Mr. Johnson wrote the following about legal Immigrants in the Wall Street Journal: [T]hey are optimistic about our Nations future. and they are willing to work and save to buy a home. That desire translates into millions of American jobs--in homebuilding. real estate. mortgage banking. furniture and appliance manufacturing. and the dozens of other Industries that are dependent on a strong housing market. They hold significant economic power which. if realized. translates into jobs for Americans and prosperity for our Nation. . . . Before Congress enacts legislation to further restrict immigration. it should consider what the costs of "people protectionism" are likely to be for neighborhoods. job creation and the democratic ideals upon which our Nation was founded. While opponents of this amendment will argue that there is a demand for legal Immigration reform. a prominent Republican pollster has found that 80 percent of Americans believe that we should address the problem of Illegal Immigration first. This polling also suggests that seven of every eight Americans oppose penalizing those who have played by the rules In applying to Immigrate to the United States. Yet this bill would slam the door on many individuals who have done exactly thatapplied for visas and waited as long as 17 years to legally enter the United States. We ought to reserve judgment on the question of whether changes are warranted in our legal immigration policy until we have taken effective steps to address Illegal Immigration. Let us move forward with that work before takIng radical and unwarranted steps such as denying our citizens the right to reunite with their siblings. adult children. or parents. I thank Mr.