Speech #710235704

In the case of the Mexican boundaries alone. the present numher of points of entry now amount to 28. This is to be increased by 30. which will make a total of 58. more than double our present number. Under the administration of the act all the activities are to be consolidated. as I said above. in a border patrol. These men are to be charged with the duty of enforcing all the various boundary crossing regulations. and when for administrative purposes. they stop or arrest people crossing. they are to conduct them to convenient central Administrative posts where the appropriate department of immigration. prohibition. customs. and so forth. can take charge of them. The State Department very wisely has within the last few months rigidly enforced the immigration act in its deaUngs with Mexico. and I understand from high authority in the State Department that the number of Mexicans entering the United States at present is not above 500 or 600 monthly. Formerly as many as 30.000 entered per annum. The recent revolutionary disturbances in the State of Chihuahua. one of the States on the border of my own State. New Mexico. will doubtless cause the pressure of immigration to be felt again on our border. as many of these poor working people who have nothing to gain and everything to lose by revolution. will be attempting to flee into our country. I look for the present admirable. stable government in Mexico to quickly settle these momentary troubles in the State of Chihuahua. and that peace will reign again. To my mind the present bill is an admirable aid to our efforts to cut off indiscriminate immigration from Mexico. and is of substantial aid in the enforcement of the prohibition act. the narcotic act. as well as the customs regulations. Objections have been urged by Members against the creating of armed. uniformed guards on our border facing a neighboring. friendly State. It is intimated that this would constitute a flagrant and objectionable irritation to our neighbors on the northern and southern borders. Of course. Mr. Speaker. the method of administration of the act by the border patrol will determine whether it will be a source of friction to our neighbor. When we have not suitable men in our employ to give the necessary fair treatment to our neighbor they can be quickly eliminated. The unemployment statistics recently returned by the Census Bureau for the State of New Mexico shows that but 1.6 per cent of our population is unemployed.