[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 19, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E909]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E909]]
                           IMMIGRATION POLICY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE KING

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 19, 2004

  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I wholly support an immigration policy 
designed to enhance the economic, social and cultural well-being of the 
United States of America. I am looking forward to working on 
immigration policy as a member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, 
Border Security, and Claims. I intend to carry out the responsibility 
for crafting the immigration and naturalization policy that was 
delegated to Congress by our Constitution.
  Immigrants have made, and will continue to make, a valuable 
contribution to our Nation. I will work to develop an immigration 
policy that aids in the assimilation of newcomers by ensuring that the 
United States does not admit more immigrants than it can reasonably 
accommodate. Assimilation is valuable to immigrants who benefit from 
our shared American culture of personal responsibility, freedom and 
patriotism. The values shared by our civilization, founded on a 
heritage of western civilization, religious freedom and free enterprise 
capitalism, serve immigrants and native born alike. I am concerned that 
the recent rise in immigration levels in this country will make it 
difficult for newcomers to assimilate and find jobs. We must ensure 
cultural continuity for our great Nation.
  As Americans, we should promote a naturalization process that 
promotes American values, the responsibilities of citizenship and our 
constitutional principles. We must be careful to admit only as many 
newcomers as we can accommodate with jobs so that our society will not 
be burdened by unemployed immigrants.
  Candidates for naturalization should be proficient in the English 
language. Not only will English proficiency help newcomers attain 
better paying jobs, it also provides a means of communication with all 
Americans. For this reason, I have recently introduced the English 
Language Unity Act of 2003, H.R. 997 to declare English the official 
language of the United States.
  Finally, as a sovereign nation, we must control our borders. We must 
ensure that terrorists do not infiltrate the United States. We must 
tighten and strengthen border control efforts so that illegal aliens do 
not enter our country. I support elimination of the visa lottery which 
gives randomly selected individuals visas, when many law abiding would-
be immigrants are waiting to have their applications approved. I am 
also concerned about the enforcement of immigration laws within our 
borders.
  I hope that this Congress will be vigilant in our oversight of the 
enforcement of existing immigration laws and make necessary changes to 
existing laws.

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