Across the years. both Republicans and Democrats have been true to these ideals. Three decades ago. I stood on this floor to manage one of my first bills. which became the Immigration Act of 1965. I believed strongly then. as I do now. that one of the greatest sources of our success as a country is that we are a nation of immigrants. And I remain as convinced today as I was then that immigration under our laws is as beneficial and as needed in America today as it was in 1965 or at any other time in our history. In 1965. It was clearly time for change in our immigration laws. We eliminated the vestiges of the racist and discriminatory national origins quota system that had denied immigration opportunities to so many for so long based on where they came from. In the years since then. we have acted several times to strengthen and reform the immigration laws to deal with changing times. changing problems. and changing circumstances. Congress also passed important reforms in 1986 and 1990. In 1986. the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 set us on the course of removing the Job magnet for illegal inuigration. That landmark law. sponsored by Senator SIMPSON. made it illegal for the first time for employers to hire illegal immigrants. The reforms that we will consider today build upon that historic change in our immigration laws. And it legalized the status of over 2.7 million undocumented immigrants who had set down roots In America. The Immigration Act of 1990which Senator SIMPSON and I sponsored togetherwas the most sweeping reform of our immigration laws in 66 years. It overhauled our laws regarding legal immigration. the bases for excluding and deporting aliens. and naturalization.
Keywords matched
undocumented deporting immigration Immigration illegal immigrants immigrants naturalization national origins quota