If investigations are made before any person is stopped the expense of enforcement will be prohibitive. and experience gained from the attempted enforcement of the Chinese act shows that investigations will not be made in many cases. If an officer stops a person whom lie suspects of being an unregistered alien. and citizenship is claimed. but proof can not be produced at that time. or the officer disbelieves the proof produced. what will happen? Arrest. necessity of proving citizenship. or. if an alien. that he has registered. and if unable to maintain the burden of proof. imprisonment or deportation. In the case of the citizen. deportation to where? Nobody knows until the law is passed and the reign of terror starts. It must be borne in mind that there are millions of citizens whose births are not recorded. or recorded incorrectly. or whose birth records have been lost or destroyed. If an officer depends In part upon physical appearances or speech or other outward signs or evidence to determine in his own mind whether a person Is an alien or a citizen. there are hundreds of thousands. if not millions. of citizens who could and might feel the oppressiveness of such a law. If such a law passes. of necessity. citizens In a short time would demand. for their own protection. either its repeal or the passage of a law permitting them to register in order to show enforcement officers that they are citizens. Furthermore. we have recently passed legislation restricting immigration into the United States. the result of which. as time passes. will reduce whatever alien problem exists. To conclude. such legislation is wrong in principle. is unAmerican in its character. will establish in America the hated spy system. is persecutory and oppressive in its operation. will increase the corruption and bribery that already exist to a disgraceful degree. will impose additional unnecessary burdens upon the taxpayers. will operate not only against the alien but against our citizens. and should be opposed by every thinking American. irrespective as to racial descent. color. or creed.
Keywords matched
immigration deportation