Speech #710174473

I want to take only a. moment or two to refer to the bill which the gentleman from New York has been discussing. a bill to give nonquota status to parents of American citizens. It is entirely a human problem. and you can not solve a human question with cold statistics and ruthless bureaucratic regulations. The only proposition here is to amend the present immigra-. tion act so as to admit as nonquota immigrants the parents of. American citizens who are over 55 years of age. This in the United States. where we have less population per acre or per square mile and more wealth than in any country in the world. It is easy to submit a minority report and so distort facts and juggle figures so as to create the impression that thousands of people would thereby enter the United States and compete in the present overcrowded labor market and thus frighten people into opposing this humanitarian measure. This House. of Representatives and the Committee on Immigration are estopped: from raising the labor question. because if you want to hit at the source of the labor that is bringing down wages and the American standard of living. you have it right at the Mexican border. and the Committee on Immigration knows it: They have had hearings upon it. they have facts and figures. and they do not do a thing about it. Gentlemen. talk about mothersand fathers 55 years of age. who are the mothers and fathers of American citizens. and object. to their coming in. and at the same time permitting Mexican peon laborers to come in by the tens of thousands and work in beet fields and for the western railroads at starvation wages. If there is an- oversupply of labor. it comes from that source. Remember that before the mother or father could come in under the proposed legislation.. the children must be. citizens. and they must show affirmatively that their parents are. not coming here to perform labor. that they. the children. American citizens. are able and willing to support their parents. giving the Government assurance. that the parents will not become public charges. Furthermore. these old folks must be in good health and otherwise meet tll requirements of the present severe. immigration law.