October 4, 1983
The President was naturally disappointed today to hear press reports quoting Speaker O'Neill as
saying that immigration reform legislation would not be considered by the House this year. The
President hopes that the Speaker will reconsider and allow the House to vote on a bill that is
essential to the future well-being of this nation.
As we understand it, the Speaker commented that there was no discernible constituency for the
bill and that there had been mixed signals from the White House. We respectfully disagree with
the Speaker on those points.
The Senate has twice passed immigration legislation -- by overwhelming bipartisan margins. And
in the Congress immigration legislation has also been considered and approved by four
committees in the House, including the Committee on the Judiciary. Administration officials have
testified on the reform measures a total of 28 times.
This is not a political issue; it is not a partisan issue; it is an issue that concerns all Americans. And
it is in the best interests of all Americans to have the Nation regain control of its borders.
One final point remains to be made. The President sent the original immigration reform legislation
to the Congress more than 2 years ago. He supported it then. He supports it today.