Speech #690145693

In his message at the opening of the Sixtyninth Congress on December 8. 1925. President Coolidge said: While our country numbers among its best citizens many of those of foreign birth. yet those who now enter in violation of our laws by that very act thereby place themselves in a class of undesirables. If investigation reveals. that any. considerable numbers are coming. here in defiance of our immigration restrictions. it will undoubtedly create the necessity for the registration of all aliens. Our present immigration law Is a good immigration law. but should be strengthened. and the provisions in regard to deportation of aliens should be strengthened materially. There is no. virtue in the claim that our immigration laws work an injury and injustice to the peoples Of other countries. In the first place. our immigration laws do not begin to be as severe as those of any European nation. It is impossible for one to emigrate from one European country to. another. or from this country to a European country without undergoing the most severe examinations and experiencing the most aggravating and irritating surveillance The immigration laws of the European countries. in fact. are so severe. that the tides of migration do not flow between European nations. For such countries to raise an outcry against the immigration laws of the jnited States upon the ground of their severity. is ridiculous: and inconsistent. Restricted though our laws now are compared to what they were before the World War. they are still liberality itself compared with the last of Europe. Moreover. there is. this phase which makes the protests of European countries still more indefensible. No one can emigrate. from any European country without obtaining from his government permission-. and a passport. This gives to. European governments the opportunity and the authority to decide who may emigrate and who may not. In other words. until we. clamped down upon our immigration laws. European governments had been selecting our immigrants for us. and it Is known to. every student of the problem supported by a mass of evidence introduced before our congressional comnmittees. that certain foreign countries have been very busy sending us those. of their citizens whom they wish to deport. largely because of. the fact they were morally or physically unfit. or were of a vicious or anarchistic type. The United. State& owes more to itself and to its citizens who desire to make this an abiding place worth. while for themselves and their posterity than it does to any foreign nation. The American people do not concede the right of any foreign group. either in the United States or abroad. to attempt to dictate the. character of our legislation to the end that more people may be brought into this country who refuse to obey its law. accept its institutions. and believe- in its form of government. It is not to be wondered that such nationwide organizations as the American Legion. the American Federation of Labor. the American Farm Bureau Federation. the National Grange. the Daughters of the American Revolution. and scores of patriotic societies- fraternal orders. and business organizations have passed resolutions supporting our present immigration laws and setting a firm face against their modification in any manner that will lessen their severity or remove any restrictions which they now impose. It is also pleasing that the Republican Party. in its national platform of 1920. took a similar position. as follows: The standard of living and the: standard of citizenship of a nation are. its most precious possessions. and the preservation and elevation of those standards is the first duty of our Government. The immigration policy of the United States should be such as to Insure that the number of foreigners in the country at. any time should not exceed that which can be assimilated with reasonable rapidity and to favor immigrants whose standards are similar to ours. The selective tests that are at present applied should be improved by requiring a higher physical standard. a more complete exclusion of mental defectives and of criminals. and a more effective Inspection applied as near the source of immigration as possible. as well as at the port of entry. Justice to the foreigners and to ourselves demands provision for the guidance. protection. and better economic distribution of our alien population. To facilitate Government supervision. all aliens should be required to register annually until they become naturalized. The existing policy of the United States for the practical exclusion of Asiatic immigrants is sound and should be maintained. Contrast this with the Democratic platform of 1924. which reads as follows: We pledge ourselves to maintain our established position in favor of the exclusion of Asiatic immigration. You will notice it is silent on everything except "Asiatic immigration." In this connection it should be noted that the Republican Party is the party which has placed upon the Federal statute books every immigration law of consequence which has been written. beginning with the Chinese exclusion act during the administration of President Garfield. Immigration authorities of the United States Department of Labor state that the most conservative estimate places the number of aliens in this country who should be deported under the law at 1.400.000. They should be deported either because they were smuggled into this country in violation of immigration laws principally over the Canadian and Mexican boundary lines. or because they have become chronic violators of American lawsprofessional gunmen. thugs. murderers. robbers. bootleggers. and other law violators. I notice the chairman of the Committee on Immigration. on February 4. 1926. sent to the several district directors of immigration the following inquiry: House Immigration Committee requests information in re deferred deportations. Appropriations Commiltee likely to recommend for coming fiscal year same sum as for current year. How will that take care of situation your district after July 17 What additional funds over last year will you need for necessary deportations? What Is number convicted aliens likely to be released for deportation for six months following July 1? Any substantial information will be appreciated. The replies from the district directors show very plainly that insufficient funds are provided for them to properly carry out their work of deportation. Several directors reported that they were required to cease action December 15 last on account of lack of funds. and practically every director has reported that he was unable to investigate and search out deportable cases or make a survey of the various penal institutions on account of lack of sufficient funds. That the funds available were only sufficient to permit them to take care of the deportable cases that were particularly called to their attention and that were of the most urgent necessity. That most of their work is confined to deporting those whose jail or penitentiary sentences expire. Sufficient funds should be appropriated to permit the immigration directors to make a complete survey of all penal and other institutions and to seek out and deport all aliens who are deportable. Since the passage of the immigration law In 1924. which became effective July 1. 1924. as well as before its passage. large numbers of aliens have been smuggled into our country in violation of the law. As stated before. it is estimated that we have in our country at least 1.400.000 deportable aliens. Those who oppose the strengthening and strict enforcement of our deportation laws claim it is unAmerican and contrary to the spirit of our institutions. The opponents are largely immigrants or of immigrant descent. and in a great many cases are thoroughly in sympathy with the radical and criminal attitude of those who would be deported. But in answer to the charge it may be stated that it is not unAmerican to take steps to preserve our institutions and to see to it that those coming to this country and those already here. whether for the purpose of permanent or temporary residence. obey our laws. When this Nation was founded. and throughout the first 125 years of its existence. it was not considered "unAmerican " to obey the laws of the land. It is only since we have been deluged in the last quarter of a century with the hordes from abroad that we have been brought face to face with the growing menace of lawlessness. If it is a departure from our previous liberal spirit to strengthen and strictly enforce our deportation laws. it must be admitted that it is a departure which the aliens themselves have forced upon us by their conduct. We would expect those who are here illegally. those that have been smuggled into our country. to object. but they have no legal or moral right to object. After we have located these deportable aliens we should see to It that every one of them is deported. and it is the duty of Congress to see that this is done. not only by passing laws making all this possible but by appropriating sufficient funds to enable the Department of Labor to actually carry out the work of deportation. We should strengthen our deportation law. We should be able to deport any alien who does not believe In America and American institutions. who does not obey our laws. or who by word. act. or deed does anything disloyal to our flng. or which tends to undermine or destroy or overthrow our Government. But it will do little good to strengthen this law without the appropriation being made that will enrble those charged with the duty of deporting these aliens to carry out the provisions of the law. I believe we should provide sufficient funds for this purpose. We should take quick and effective action for the deportation of every alien in this country in violation of law. and pursue this nolicy until we have deported all such aliens. regardless of the cost. Such action would be a most economical procedure on the part of our Government. It would save thousands and thousands of dollars to the taxpayers for maintenance of those who become Inmates of insane asylums. penitentiaries. and other public institutions.