U.S. Congress on Immigration

Abstract

The Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization has, for the first time since the enactment of the Immigration Act of 1965, commenced hearings on widespread immigration reform. On March 4, 1976, Senator James O. Eastland, Chairman of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization introduced S. 3074, a comprehensive bill dealing with the problem of the undocumented alien (the so-called alien) and the system of selecting immigrants from the Western Hemisphere. His bill parallels measures introduced in the House by Representative Peter W. Rodino, Jr., Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Originally introduced as H.R. 982, H.R. 8713 was reported out by the full Judiciary Committee on September 24, 1975 but is stalled before the Rules Commit? tee. The principal thrust is to impose sanctions upon employers who hire illegal aliens. Hearings on H.R. 981, which deals with Western Hemis? phere immigration reforms, are still in progress. There is little basic difference in the approach of the Senate bill from that of the House measures to the problems. For example, each would provide a preference system for selecting immigrants from the Western Hemisphere identical to that of the Eastern Hemisphere. Each would provide a maximum annual per country limitation of 20,000 numbers although Mr. Rodino grants 35,000 to Canada and Mexico. As regards sanctions against employers, the House measure proposes a three step plan?citation, civil penalty and then a criminal penalty?for violators of the law. Mr. Eastland proposes direct civil penalties?up to $500 for the first offense and up to $1,000 for each subsequent offense. The penalties in both proposals are conditioned upon the employer know? ingly hiring the illegal alien. It has long been speculated that the price Mr. Eastland is demand? ing for action in the Senate is a more liberalized provision for the