Date: 1982-08-03
Speaker: PHILLIP BURTON (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. today I would like to quote the Immortal words of a lady we all know. This lady never speaks. but her words cry out for all the world to hear. Implanted in New York Harbor. she commands: Keep ancient lands. your storied pompt Give me your tired. your poor Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these. the homeless. tempesttost to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden doort As Americans we are not only familiar but equally proud of this indestructible promise. We are proud because these words symbolize the strength of this Nation. a strength that draws its might from the diversity of its people. Mr. Speaker. today. this very strength that is the foundation of these United States faces its greatest peril. the proposed elimination of the fifth preference immigration status. The fifth preference. as I am sure many of my colleagues are aware. is the immigration statute which enables the brothers and sisters of American citizens and permanent residents regardless of marital status. to petition for entry into the United States. Currently. however. this provision faces extinction under S. 2222 and is being irrevocably altered in H.R. 6514. While I am in total support of the complete restoration of the fifth preference. I will reserve the large portion of my remarks to the implications that will occur if this category is eliminated as provided for in 8. 2222. Mr. Speaker. it is my strong contention that the elimination of the fifth preference. regardless of intent. will deal a devastating blow against the AsianAmerican community in this country. Although the champions of this action claim that no one particular ethnic group has been targeted. they cannot deny the overwhelming and glaring evidence that over 70 percent of the immigrants currently waiting to be processed under the fifth preference category are of Asian descent. Clearly. no substantial amount of reasoning is needed to deduce that Asian immigrants. the newest wave of nationals to enter our country. would feel the full brunt of this discriminatory move. I am truly disappointed and ashamed that Congress. the institution which exemplifies our democratic ideal. is even capable of considering such as exclusionary move. Moreover. these very same proponents further claim that abolishing the fifth preference is the only viable inethod to clear the tremendous backlog in this category. This line of deduction is not only faulty but erroneous as well. Our Nation at the turn of the century encountered a similar situation with Italian immigrants. But rather than resort to an exclusionary alternative. Congress instead implemented remedial legislation that called for the issuing of more visas to accommodate the backlog. Thee is no doubt in my mind- that this solution is infinitely more viable than the elimination of such an important category. . Yet. perhaps the most alarming implication in the proposed removal of the fifth preference is that it violates the right of an American to be reunited with his family. Throughout the history of U.S. immigration law. one goal has always been recognized as a major underlying policy: the reunification of families. Even the Quota Act of 1921. which specifically restricted Asian immigration into this country. contained provisions that gave preference to wives. parents. brothers. sisters. and children of U.S. citizens. In short. it was always stressed that families must be reunited. As Americans we cherish the ideal of a complete family and believe it a necessary cornerstone for the foundation of a functional and responsibile society. This being the case. prohibiting brothers and sisters from being reunited with their families only serves to undermine the stability of the most basic unit of American society. Furthermore. the repeal of this section of the statute proclaims that brother and sister are no longer part of the immediate family. that they are somehow less important to the family structure. I find this conclusion to be very distressing. and am convinced that none of my colleagues would consider.his brother or sister not a part of his immediate family. There has been testimony from many concerned AsianAmericansMabel Teng and George Long Suey from San Francisco in particularthat the bond between brother and sister in the Asian family is one of the strongest bonds that can ever be forged. often exceeding the relationship with the spouse. Mr. Speaker. I hold a deep esteem for the Asian ideal. but I would be remiss if I did not state that the fraternal and sororal love shared in families is not unique to AsianAmericans. Americans. from the many diverse ethnic heritages that comprise this country. share the same love between brother and sister. This proposed action would hurt not only one segment of our population but Americans of all ethnic backgrounds. Finally. there is one more poignant aspect that must be examined when scrutinizing the impact of deleting this law. It concerns the ChineseAmericans who are residing in this country. Many of these citizens have brothers and sisters who live in mainland Chinabrothers and sisters they have not seen for over 30 years as a result of our past policy toward that nation. To deny these brothers and sisters their right to emigrate to the United States would be a cruel and insensitive act.- Conversely. a large portion of these same ChineseAmericans have parents that have long since passed away. their brothers and sisters are now the only part of the family that remains. and their relationship will grow even stronger through the years. Our great Nation has often been characterized as the "melting pot of the world." It is a characterization we hold in high regard. Yet equally important. is our concept of the complete family. an essential element in the building of our society. The elimination of the fifth preference could only result in irreparable damage to these two institutions we hold so dear and that are so vital to our Nation. I urge all my colleagues to defeat such a hideously insensitive move and completely restore the fifth preference immigration category. I know of a certain lady who would be tremendously proud of us.*