Speech #1040203062

The truth is. as the INSreported numbers in the San Diego paper show. that will be substantially increased over 1995: 41 percent In both years. As I said. the Simpson amendment is important because it provides a true temporary limit. In 1990--in 1990the level of immigration was increased substantially. by 37 percent. There was an increase because It was thought that the new employer sanctions would reduce illegal immigration. as I mentioned before. That has not occurred. We know that there are approximately 4 million illegal Immigrants in the country and about 300.000 to 400.000 new illegal immigrants entering the country each year. So that number has to be added to the numbers that we are talking about for legal immigrants. Mr. President. the United States has always beenand. as long as I have anything to say about it. is going to be--a land of opportunity both for U.S. citizens and certainly for all of those who come here legally. But as much as we are a nation of immigrants. we are also a nation of laws. We cannot afford. as a nation. to continue to incur the unrestrained costs of both legal and illegal immigration in jobs. welfare. education and health care. Senator SimpSON is trying to get a handle on this by limiting immigration very slightly over a very limited period of time. 5 years. as the American people have demanded. Unless we reform our legal and illegal immigration laws. I believe we will undermine the United States as a land of opportunity for all. both foreign and native born. Everybody has a story to tell how they got here. My grandparents emigrated here from Holland. My grandmother hardly spoke English. I am very proud of my Dutch ancestry and the traditions that we have maintained. but I think that my grandparents. who assimilated into our society and became Americans. would be rather shocked and somewhat disappointed at the way that the system has grown over recent years.