Speech #720027178

The testimony given before the Senate Committee on Immigration and statements emanating from Government officials attribute most of these illegal entries to persons who entered our ports as seamen but who were not seamen in the true sense. and evaded the immigration laws. in order to enter the United States. They were mala fide seamen and not entitled to come to our shores. When the immigration laws of 1917. supplemented by other laws culminating in the act of 1924. placed restrictions upon immigration and limited the number of immigrants who might annually enter the United States. many persons sought to evade the laws and discovered that they might or could reach our shores by pretending to be seamen and shipping as such upon vessels sailing to our ports. So tens of thousands of aliens who were not seamen. who did not intend to become seamen. were accepted by masters of vessels and were brought to the United States. where they were admitted upon the claim by them and the officers of the vessels upon which they were shipped that they were bona fide seamen and as such were entitled to be admitted upon the same grounds as persons are admitted who are bona fide seamen.