Dale Bumpers: “I thank the Chair for reminding me. Madam President, this amendment repeals a provision in the immigration laws that was…”

“I thank the Chair for reminding me. Madam President, this amendment repeals a provision in the immigration laws that was a tragic mistake when it was enacted. My amendment to strike that provision deals with economics, it deals with patriotism, it deals with immigration, and it deals with fraud. In order for my colleagues to understand precisely what we are talking about, let me set the stage. I fought this battle in 1989 and, at the expense of sounding a little self-serving, lost, but predicted what has happened would happen. The immigration bill considered by the Senate in 1989 included a provision of the bill to increase investment because we were headed into a recession. We decided we would take a page out of the play books of Canada and Australia. We thought, if they can sell citizenship for $200,000, citizenship in the United States ought to be worth at least $1 million. It is a very logical assumption. So, we said, in that bill in 1989, we will reserve 4,800 visas for foreigners who wants to come into this Nation and bring $1 million and hire 10 people: We will give you a green card at the end of 2 years, and, at the end of an additional 3 years, we will make you a citizen of the United States.”