Speech #710316560

I confess that the immigration law is complicated and hard to understand. The first figures. 17.872. are nonquota immigrants. for instance. wives of citizens count. There is no limitation on these. If 50.000 Italians were naturalized this year. they at once bring in their wives and children. regardless of any quota limitation. But the second number. 5.802. that represents the quota fixed for Italy. That deals with immigrants who wish to come for the first time and the wives and children of aliens within this country who have not as yet been naturalized. The total quota immigration from Europe is 153.714. The total nonquota for 1929 and 1930 was 45.097. This figure can fluctuate. but the quota figures are fixed by law. Now. what does this bill propose to do. It reduces quota immigration 90 per cent. In other words. each of these European countries will be reduced to 10 per cent. Ten per cent of 153.714 will be 15.371.