Speech #720121864

Permit me to call to your attention the fact that we are continually naturalizing aliens in the United States. During the year 1930. 169.377 aliens became citizens of the United States under the naturalization law. Those 169.000 aliens have a right under the present law to bring in their fathers and mothers as members of a preferential class. In 1931. 143.495 aliens became citizens. It is reasonable to believe that at least 10 per cent of the aliens who became citizens have a father or a mother in Europe so you can readily see there will be no end to the chain of those seeking to come to the United States as a parent of a citizen. This is not a question of 200 or 300 parents in Europe who desire to come to this country. As we naturalize. we transfer from one class to another the parents of the newmade citizens. The difference between the bill of the chairman of the committee and that of the gentleman from Ohio is this. we have a quota of 153.000 who may come here each year from foreign countries. Incidentally. about 98.000 came in last year. the lowest year on net immigration of any since the Civil War. About 35.000 net came to the United States. However. when times get better and they are able to come in. notwithstanding the likely to be public charge provision. we will have annually 15.000 or 20.000 additional fathers and mothers of American citizens knocking at our doors under the bill of the chairman. because they will be exempt from the quota.