This is a speech Teddy Kennedy gave in the Senate (February 10, 1965) as floor manager of the Immigration Act of 1965. All these promises were broken. (Read by a Bostonian—this was before C-SPAN. Thanks to Paul Streitz for making this video.) For more broken promises, see So Much for Promises - Quotes Re 1965 Immigration Act, By Joe Fallon on August 9, 2006 or any speech by Marco Rubio.

Teddy Kennedy had not yet reached his 33rd birthday when he made this speech—he was elected to the seat when he was exactly 30, as a result a stunning level of Kennedy nepotism. He had only passed the bar exam in 1959, and he never did get a real job.

Here's what he said:

"Out of deference to the critics, I want to comment on … what the bill will not do. First, our cities will not be flooded with a million immigrants annually. Under the proposed bill, the present level of immigration remains substantially the same … Secondly, the ethnic mix of this country will not be upset … Contrary to the charges in some quarters, S.500 will not inundate America with immigrants from any one country or area, or the most populated and economically deprived nations of Africa and Asia. In the final analysis, the ethnic pattern of immigration under the proposed measure is not expected to change as sharply as the critics seem to think. Thirdly, the bill will not permit the entry of subversive persons, criminals, illiterates, or those with contagious disease or serious mental illness. As I noted a moment ago, no immigrant visa will be issued to a person who is likely to become a public charge … the charges I have mentioned are highly emotional, irrational, and with little foundation in fact. They are out of line with the obligations of responsible citizenship. They breed hate of our heritage."