Speech #720159978

We could tell you how many have been filed. but not how many have been acted upon or how many have not been acted upon. how many had been filed. but not how many were dead. but this gives you the result of culling all the lists. The difference between the number admitted and the number of petitions outstanding would show a very large number. For instance. one country I was in year before last. they had 800 on the listthey had been inviting and reinvitingthey would not come in to apply for visas. Some interesting conclusions may be deducted from a part of one paragraph in the last printed annual report of the Commissioner General of Immigration for the year ending June 30. 1931. On page 11 is found this interesting statement: As has been noted before. the striking feature in the past year as to immigrants admitted is the fact that the number Is less than 100.000. the first time since the early part of the Civil War. In actual figures. 97.139 aliens were lawfully admitted and recorded for permanent residence. This great falling off is due to two causes primarily. the poor economic conditions prevailing with us in the past year. but particularly to the strictness with which American consuls are applying the provisions of the law in the light of the reduced opportunities for selfsupporting employment in the United States. On page 16 this statement regarding quota immigrants is enlightening: So far as countries under the numerical quotas system are concerned. the annual quotas available are 153.714. and under this number but 48.528 immigration visas were issued by consuls. which is an underissue of 68 per cent. This decrease would have been even greater If the added restrictive policy had been in force In the first three months of the fiscal year. The Immigrant aliens admitted at the various ports of the country chargeable to the quotas numbered 54.118. It should be recalled that visas are valid in applying for admission for four months after the date of issuance. so that the number issued in a given period can never correspond with the number of aliens arriving with these documents at ports of entry. The number of immigrants admitted as chargeable to the quotas in the fiscal year 1930 was 141.497. so that the decrease in the past year represented about 62 per cent. As noted before. the number of admissions in the last eight months of the fiscal year fell off proportionally and greatly from the total of the first four months. However. on page 18 is found an exceedingly important iteifi: Of the 97.139 immigrant aliens admitted. 31.413 males and 46.063 females over 16 years of age were able to read and write. a qualification required by the immigration act of 1917. The money brought In by the Immigrants totaled $10.771.013. Of course. the greater number of alien Immigrants are always Induced and assisted financially by their relatives in this country to come to the United States. I wish particularly to call your attention to this last quotation. for it shows. to my mind. one of the fundamental fallacies of the present policy of the administration and the consuls abroad in the drastic manner of their individual interpretation of who is likely to become a public charge. Ninetyseven thousand one hundred and thirtynine immigrant aliens admitted for permanent residence in the United States brought into the United States $10.771.013. as new money for circulation in this countryan average of about $111 only. but in the aggregate over 10.000.000 of new dollars in this country for purchase of necessities made. grown. and distributed in the United States. How much more benefit to the United States it is for these aliens to be admitted here bringing this new money here and spending it here than to go on with a further restriction policy keeping out this new money. while at the same time In many instances sanctioning the continuance of a policy whereby citizens and relatives in this country send out money from the United States for the support and comfort of their alien near relatives prevented from coming here by the rigid interpretation of the "likely to become a public charge" presumption by the consuls abroad under instruction from the State Department. Now. coming back specifically to this conference report on H. R. 10600. the alien husbands of citizens of the United States likely to be benefited by this bfi will have to establish before the consul complete admissibility to the United States in every particular other than as to his preference under the quota or as to his nonquota status. If they are admissible under our laws. they will eventually be admitted. I say that under that viewpoint. the imposition of quota restrictions to the delay. the uniting of an American citizen wife in this country with her alien husband. whom she has chosen as her wanted life partner. I say such a delay simply to keep intact the fanatic idea of the ultrarestrictionists is an unAmerican and an inhuman theory which tends to break down the basic idea that the home is the central pivot of our civilization. There are 100 men who would be exempt from the quota in countries where it Is impossible to obtain a quota number. and in some of the countries it would take some husbands 100 years before they could come in to join their wives and their American children.