Speech #1040192392

I Joined with my colleague In cosponsoring his bill. but we badly need the Pombo amendment. I will tell the Members why. We will never have an effective program to contain illegal Immigration without having an effective. reasonable. and legitimate program for temporary guest workers in this country. I quote from statistics prepared for none other than Senatur EDWARD M. KENNEDY in 1980. a report at his request when he chaired the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. This report reads the following: "Illegal immigration was brought to a halt in the mid1950s by a greatly increased law enforcement effort on the part of the U.S. Government. combined with a subsequent expansion of the bracero program as a substitute legal means of entry." D 1715 Without question the Bracero program was also instrumental in ending the illegal alien problem of the mid 1940s and 1950s. It should be noted that throughout its duration. and particularly during the 1950s. one of the major arguments used in support of the Bracero program was that it offered an alternative and therefore at least a partial solution to the illegal alien problem. The other part of the solution was effective law enforcement. which this Smith bill does do. Here is the graph.