Speech #710316533

Limitation to one year has already been referred to as desirable. Much more oppressive and unjust. however. is the new provision contained in section 1. cutting down maximum quotas to onetenth. Immediate relatives. such as wives and minor children of resident aliens born in some of the European countries involved. have been separated in shocking fashion for many years by thebrutalities of the quota laws. which have called practically unanimously for rectification. and pledge after pledge to remedy these evils has been given. but practically wholly disregarded by Congress. Such wives and minor children are not breadwinners and do not come over to seek employment. and their presence here would not aggravate the employment situation in any way. Even after some slight but really inadequate relief was furnished by the act of May 29. 1928. amending section 6 of the quota law of 1924. repeated pledges were given that adequate relief would be afforded to the countries with small quotas. whose citizen husbands and fathers had been coming over here in large numbers in late years. The Republican national platform adopted June 14. 1928 (a few weeks after this amendment of 1928). on which President Hoover and the present Republican Congressmen were elected. while favoring continued restrictions. expressly provided: Where. however. the law works undue hardship by depriving the immigrant of the comfort and society of those bound by close family ties. such modification should be adopted as will afford relief. The Democratic national platform adopted two weeks later contained the following clause: Laws which limit immigration must be preserved in full force and effect. but the provision contained in these laws that separate husbands from wives and parents from infant children are inhuman and not essential to the purposes or the efficacy of such laws. Although President Hoover has repeatedly declared himself as favoring such modifications. as did also his predecessors. and his Secretary of Labor and the Immigration Bureau again and again recommended such remedial legislation. Congress failed to carry out this pledge. and now is even asked to strike out practically ninetenths of the inadequate relief it granted in 1928. Its Committee on Immigration and Naturalization is proposing to do this. despite the recommendation of Secretary of Labor Davis. contained in his annual report dated November 1. 1930. reading: I would exempt from this plan of control immigrants coming to join near relatives already in the United States. I have always advocated liberality in the matter of reuniting families. and my attitude has not changed in this respect. The present bill arbitrarily treats wives and minor children of resident aliens quite differently than of citizens. section 4 (a) of the act of 1924 applicable to them not being modified in any way. though it is elementary that such residents ought to enjoy the same civil rights and family happiness as those already citizens. Separation of families is quite as inhumane. antisocial. and contrary to American interests in the case of the resident alien and prospective citizen as in the case of the man already naturalized. Figures recently furnished by the State Department as to the number of applications of such near relatives of resident aliens registered at our consulates down to July 1. 1930. are striking as showing the number of persons involved. and how largely residents of southern and eastern Europe are discriminated against because of the small quotas assigned to them. Twentyseven thousand seven hundred and thirtyfive wives. children. and parents of residents born in southern and eastern European countries are registered as seeking admission. as compared with 1.566 from northern and western Europe. as also 23.404 fathers. mothers. and husbands of United States citizens from the former group of countries. as compared with 692 from northern and western Europe. It will take many years for many of the former group before these near relatives can come over under our oppressive quota laws. even without such new curtailment. As already pointed out. wives and minor children who are not breadwinners are involved. whose maintenance must be and is provided for by the husband and father resident in the United States. Far from aggravating the employment situation in the United States. their presence here would keep hundreds of millions of dollars within our country to be spent here instead of being sent abroad for their maintenance there. Trade Information Bulletin No. 698. issued by the United States Department of Commerce for the year 1929. gives what it calls a conservative estimate of the amount of money sent that year by residents of the United States to their relatives abroad. namely. $247.000.000. exclusive of currency sent by mail. Figures kept by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society as to remittances by residents of the United States to near relatives abroad through its bureau during 1929. compared with the first 11 months of 1930. show that despite the hard times the amount did not greatly fall off in 1930. it having been more than 79 per cent of the preceding years totals. and figures from other sources indicate a still higher percentage than this for 1930. The total of $247.000.000 for all races and creeds. reported by the Department of Commerce for 1929. reduced to the same 79 per cent for 1930 amounts to over $195.000.000. It is thus obvious that far from injuring our economic condition. just and humane laws authorizing reunion of families would keep enormous sums here to be spent in our own country. Nay. more. the narrow and oppressive provision barring reunion of families. and consequently involving transmission of such enormous sums to relatives abroad for their maintenance there for years past. is itself a serious contributing cause to our present economic troubles. I believe that very few Members of Congress and Senators know the hardship and suffering that has been created by the act of 1924. which has cut immigration down to 150.000 for all of the world. As a result of the 1924 act thousands of families have been separated and have been waiting all these years with the hope that they can join their relatives. They have suffered untold hardships. and millions of dollars have been sent for their support and maintenance. and furthermore. since 1924 at least $1.000.000.000 has been forwarded to the European countries for the support of these relatives. These families could not be united because of the small quota allotment to the countries under the national origin scheme. We are now trying to add additional hardships and burdens by cutting the quota down 90 per cent. which is practically closing the doors. as these relatives of persons entitled to come here under their preference quotas would never during their natural life be able to join their families. In the past several months the State Department. through its consuls. have denied visas to persons legally entitled to come to the United States. whose preferences have been established for many years. and who are now refused admission on the ground they are liable to become a public charge. I have information that even children and wives of American citizens were denied admission on the ground of becoming a public charge. that aged parents of American citizens whose visas have been established and who are entitled to enter have been refused admission on the ground of liability to become a public charge. in spite of the fact that proof has been presented to the consuls of their financial ability. The State Department. through its consuls. takes the position that under the 1917 act it has the power to exclude all persons likely to become public charges. I can not emphasize the matter more strongly or emphatically than to submit to this honorable body the additional and recent report of the State Department. published under the heading of Press Releases. dated January 24. 1931. which is marked "Exhibit C " of my minority views on this bill. and I hope that this Congress will find the time to thoroughly examine this report. which will prove my case beyond question of doubt that this bill. known as House Joint Resolution 500. to cut 90 per cent of immigration does not come in good faith and is not going to help labor conditions in the United States. On the contrary. it is destroying the firesides of American citizens whose husbands. whose fathers. whose mothers. and whose children will be forever debarred. The principle so ably set forth by Theodore Roosevelt in his famous presidential message of 1906 should be heeded: We must treat with justice and good will all immigrants who come here under the law. Whether they are Catholic or Protestant. Jew or gentile. whether they come from England or Germany.