Speech #700190748

The bill was then placed in the hands of conferees. I was designated as one of the Members of the House to serve on this committee. and it is the report of the managers of the conferees that we are now considering. The process involved in bringing about the situation I have outlined above requires the alien to show that he entered the United States before June 3. 1921. that he has lived in the United States continuously since such entry. that he is a person of good moral character. and that he is not subject to deportation. The certificate which is then issued upon such showing is known as a nune pro tune certificate. Its operation is such as to give the person who receives it the status of an immigrant who is legally here. It enables him to fulfill the provisions of the naturalization laws requiring that a certificate of entry be filed with the petition for naturalization. The alien who applies for such registration of his entry must pay a fee of $20 therefor. The conduct of hearings to determine the eligibility of an alien for registration of his entry entail expense to the Bureau of Immigration . furthermore. many of these aliens obtained admittance to the United States without the payment of head tax. The fee of $20 is therefore considered fair.