Speech #1040206042

Mr. President. the U.S. Government has a duty to control immigration. and it is failing miserably. Passage of this bill will help halt the large migration of illegals into our country. But. due in part to the service rendered by the able Senator from Wyoming on this bill. S. 1664. "The Immigration Control and Financial Responsibility Act of 1996" the Federal Government will have meaningful tools to discourage illegal immigration and better handle illegal aliens in our country. We are grateful for the enormous amount of time and expertise AL SIMPSON has devoted throughout his tenure in the Senate to the formulation of a workable. credible Immigration policy. All of us have benefited from Senator SIMPSONS tireless efforts. Mr. President. immigration Is an especially important issue to the American people. and it is important that we not forget that ours is a nation of immigrants. America has always had a very generous immigration policy. But while It is politically correct in some circles to call for an open immigration policyallowing in all who seek admissionit would be a serious mistake of judgment to fail to assess the consequences of an outofcontrol influx of immigrants. legal or illegal. During the 1985 consideration of Immigration reform. some Senators cautioned against granting amnesty to the illegal aliens pouring across our borders. I was among those who stated such an apprehension. It was envisioned that such amnesty would establish a dangerous precedent certain to encourage even more illegal immigration. Another concern in the 1985 debate was the potential for an enormous increase in Federal welfare spending. Both concerns were valid and both have come to pass. The National Bureau of Economic Research. Inc.. has compiled statistics showing that from 1984 to 1990. the percentage of welfare benefits distributed to immigrant households has risen from 9.8 to 13.8 percent. There is no indication that the percentage will decrease in the years ahead. The abuse In the Supplemental Security Income Program alone is startling. According to the Congressional Budget Office. 25 percent of the growth in SSI between 1993 and 1996 is due to immigrantsan astounding number because of the percentage of immigrants among SSI recipients2.9 percent of the general population are Immigrants and 29 percent of the SSIaged beneficiaries are Immigrants. Thousands of North Carolinians. and others across the Nation. have contacted me to describe their problems with the current U.S. immigration system. Most often. citizens express disgust at the numbers of noncitizens receiving welfare benefits almost from the day they slip over the borders into the United States. Mr. President. it is impossible to suggest to my fellow North Carolinians that there is any wisdom or common sense to an immigration policy that allows noncitizens to receive welfare checks or any other Federal benefits and services. Sponsors of this bill agreed. The bill correctly changes the current system which aliens can sign up for a long list of welfare benefits including Aid to Families With Dependant Children. Supplemental Security Income. and food stamps. With mention seldom. if ever made. of the U.S. law these aliens are violatinga law which clearly states that nobody may immigrate to the United States without demonstrating that he or she is not "likely at any time to become a public charge." Hardworking taxpayers should not be required to shell out funds to aliens who have broken the promise they made when entering the country. North Carolinians will be relieved to learn that many attemptsthrough the amending processto lessen the impact of the bills rigid enforcement of this law were soundly defeated. In addition. the bill further forbids receipt of any Federal. State. or local government benefit by noncitizens. Mr. President. it is virtually impossible to estimate the total number of illegal immigrants in our countryin 1983. the Immigration and Nationalization Service estimated that there were 3.4 million in our country. Some have crossed our borders illegally while others have overstayed their visas and permits. The National Immigration Forum has given what is perceived as a conservative estimate that the number of illegals in the United States is about 3.2 million. pushed downward by the amnesty of 198788 which has resulted in a 200.000 to 300.000 addition to Americas population each year. At a time when the Federal Government is wrestling with its $5 trillion debt. It is the responsibility of Congress to find out where the taxpayers funds are being used.