Speech #670341270

Let us look at the sources of information. I want first to call your attention to the statement made by Mr. Wixon. who apparently appeared for the Bureau of Immigration. If you will turn to page 253 of the hearings you will see what he says: With an appropriation of $3.000.000 I feel compelled to state that we will be impotent to carry out the will of Congress as expressed by the statutes. and must confine ourselves more or less to an examination of alien applicants for admission. That means that they will confine their efforts to the stations and the efforts to keep people from being smuggled into this country will be practically suspended. The condition will be just as stated by the gentleman from Illinois when he first spoke upon his amendment. Now. we have provided one Assistant Secretary of Labor for the purpose of bearing appeals. It developed during the hearings that since the 8 per cent quota law came into effect we have had twice as many appeals as we had under the previous restrictive law. It developed that there are more deportations. We have to hold people more at the various hnmigration stations in order to investigate their cases. and that entails an additional expense. Mr. White. the Assistant Secretary of Labor in charge of immigration matters. made a statement on page 263 of the hearings which I commend to your consideration. He says: In view of your attitude that no increase is to be considered in the appropriation I do not know that I have any statement to make. That is the way he felt about it. I know that these amounts have been cut to the bone and. I think. to the detriment of the Immigration Service. It has compelled the immigration officials or the immigration executives. rather. to spread their officers over the territory in a manner that hinders good administration and good work. One man is placed where there should be two or three. There are hundreds of places along the border where no one is placed. Every port of any importance. every station. is crying for help. Many complaints and criticisms of the Immigration Service. emanating from New York principally. probably could be done away with If we had appropriations sufficient to give them enough hell) to handl.3 the aliens expeditiously instead of detaining them sometimes several days before they can receive their examination. This condition prevails in almost every port and at every station. In the city of New York alone the officials have brought to our attention something like 2.000 or 3.000 Chinese seamen who should be deported. who have overstayed their shore leave. and have accepted employment and thus come into competition with American laborour appropriation is insufficient and we can not deport them. The Department of Justice is constantly referring matters to the Immigration Service where aren should be deported. and yet we are compelled to pass them up for lack of appropriation.