Mr. Speaker. of course this is emergency legislation. We heard that emphatically expressed here when we passed the original 3 per cent quota law. We anticipated that before the law would be in effect a years time we would have before us for consideration further permanent immigration legislation. if needed. Despite the fact that there has been a tremendous drop in immigration. we find that the Conmissioner of Immigration at Ellis Island. when his attention is directed to the fact that functioning at Ellis Island is rather slow. replies as follows: I bring to your attention that owing to the small appropriation furnished by Congress for the enforcement of the law at this port. enforced furioughs have resulted. the personnel has been reduced onequarter and the station is barely able to function along any lines with any degree of efficiency. Writing to another Member of the House. he says: You are probably aware that the enforced furloughs in the employees of this station. which have reduced the personnel onequarter. have aiqde it absolutely impossible to dispose of cases of detained aliens as speedily as before the reduction of the force. In fairness to all concerned the various ships are being handled in the order of their arrivalas far as possible. Mr. Speaker. regardless of wlether we believe in a 3 per cent quota law or not. it is about time that Congress made a sufficient appropriation to handle the work at Ellis Island properly and efficiently. I do not think it is very fair to take these en)ployees who have been in the Government service for as high as 20 years and furlough them for one month or two montis without pay. These men are entitled to better consideration at our hands. They are compelled very often to work seven days a week. and yet on account of the lack of appropriation they are laid offsome for one month and some for two lnontlswithout pay. There is very little immigration coinng into this country. and yet the force has been so reduced at Ellis Lsland that goine immigrants arriving here are compelled to wait for a week aboard ship in order to be examined. I hold in my hand a speech delivered by the chairmllan of the Committee on Immigration of the United States Senate. and he calls particular attention to the factthat the immigration from northern and western Europe is of a pernllnent character. while the immigration from southern and eastern Europe is of a temporary character. and. second. that the immigration lovemlent from southern and eastern Europe is offset by the departures. or Iomereturning movement. of this group of aliens. He further says: Instead of conditions following tile Great War producing. as many predicted. ti Increasing flow of imnigration from these countries. these conditions have tended to check immigration. There is no legitimate. logicl reason for extending this 3 per cent law. with till of its inlhmanities andt barbarities. which have been so often brought home to the attention of Congress. We all know that under the 8 per cent quota law no student can come to the United States when the quota of his country is reached. but we also know that the number of students who can come in from Japan and China under this law is unlimited. because the 3 per cent quota law does not apply to Japan under any conditions. There is no reason. if this 3 per cent quota law is to be amended. why provision should not have been made for students to come into this country. and in that way help to build up our commercial trade and international relations. No discretion of any kind is given to the Secretary of Labor in the cases where the visds were granted a long time ago. and despite the fact that we made $5.000.000 profits on immigration vis~s an(l head taxes last year. the conditions to which I have repentedly called the attention of the House on this floor are allowed to continue. I read the article which the Secretary of Labor has seen fit to insert in the Review of Reviews for the month of May. He discusses the 3 per cent quota law. and he is compelled to admit that he finds a number of cases where. he is unable to do evenhanded justice. I heard the gentleman from California a few moments ago talk about the steamship companies. What concerns me more is the treatment of the alien on board the ship. what effect his arrival is going to have so far as this country is concerned. and the treatment afforded to him when he does arrive. There is no reason that I know of why these steamship compnnies should not be required in each and every case to return the airriving immigrant to the other side if he is not admissable here. if he has once received a visd. These steamship companies make a profit on the transportation of the immigrant. They are familiar with the law. They know before he boards the ship as to whether he can possibly be admitted. with the exception of the quota law. Now. as far as the quota law is concerned. it is practically a physical impossibility fori any steamship company or any alien to know whether he can or can not be admitted. because the aliens are coming via Canada. via Mexico. coming from all over the world by rail or other steamship lines. This law is not based on residence. but on country of nativity.
Identified stereotypes
Immigration from northern and western Europe is of a permanent character, while the immigration from southern and eastern Europe is of a temporary character.