Speech #740043927

Today that great fraternal and patriotic order known as the "Elks" presented to the Presiding Officers of the House and Senate. on the front steps of the Capitol. long petitions in favor of the exclusion and deportation of alien enemies of our Government. For many months the members of this great organization have been waging a vigorous campaign of education. thus arousing sentiment in favor of legislation that would better protect us from such alien enemies within our gates. On yesterday I introduced a bill. H. R. 7079. that would accomplish this end. It Is an immigrationrestriction and aliendeportation bill. along the line of bills I previously introduced when on the Immigration Committee and along the lines of bills introduced by my good friend and coworker. Congressman DIES. of Texas. with whom I served and cooperated when a member of the House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization. The bill. H. R. 7079. differs from his bills in that it would not allow an alien member of an organization that is plotting and planning the overthrow of our Government by force and violence and the assassination of public officials to avoid deportation by pleading fear and duress. would expressly require aliens admitted for permanent residence to apply for naturalization and to assume the duties and responsibilities of citizenship within the statutory naturalization period of 5 years or be deported. and would require the reporting annually to Congress of all stayed or suspended alien deportations. with all the facts and reasons therefor. as well as all petitions. recommendations. and protests in connection therewith. to the end that if Congress did not promptly affirmatively approve such delayed deportations the aliens should be forthwith deported as the existing law directs. H. R. 7079 contains all of the strengthening amendments recommended by the Department of Labor and the Commissioner of Immigration. and more. and would take care of all meritorious hardshipdeportation cases by directing the Secretary of Labor to report them annually to Congress for action. It does not contain the suggested discretions to deport or not deport alien criminals as the Secretary of Labor "finds in the public interest" and would repeal the discretion given the Secretary in the naturalization law passed in 1932 as a result of which last year there were readmitted deported anarchists like Emma Goldman. who went about the country giving out interviews and abusing our hospitality. as Strachey has been doing. by declaring she was "more of an anarchist than ever before." We have quite enough radicals of our own and of secondgeneration foreign stock without importing any more or tolerating any such display of bad taste and breach of hospitality as Emma Goldman. John Strachey. Willie Musenberg. Henry Barbusse. and other notorious anarchists. or directaction Communists. have been exhibiting. H. R. 7079 would not only deport habitual aliens. habitual alien criminals. enemies of our Government. dope peddlers. alien smugglers. aliens carrying machine and sawedoff shotguns. as practically all racketeers and gangsters do. but it would further restrict immigration by reducing existing European quotas 75 percent and applying the quota system of restrictions to countries of this hemisphere. reserving 75 percent of those quotas for the very near relatives. such as aged parents and the like. of naturalizedforeignborn and foreignborn residents lawfully in the United States able to support them. Last year over 163.000 aliens legally entered the United Statesan increase of about 9 percent over the previous yearand undoubtedly there were almost as many. if not more. aliens that entered illegally. because the Immigration Service reports a 50percent increase in alien stowaways. deserting seamen. and the like over the previous year. and that alien smuggling is on the increaseboats. automobiles. and even a number of airplanes being apprehended smuggling aliens into our country. A current release of the Department of State on the immigration work of the Department calls attention to the startling facts that our consular offices report a waiting list of over a quarter million and that there are in 47 of the 68 European quota countries alone 992.160 aliens desirous of coming to the United States. During the past 10 years of quota restriction on European immigration over 3.000.000 aliens have entered the United States. nd the last census reveals the largest number of foreign born. over 14 millions. the largest foreign stock population. over 40 millions. and the most aliens. over 6 millions. in our whole history. What we need is an immigration holiday. and my bills enactment would give it to us by reducing existing quotas 75 percent. reserving them practically for parents and other near relatives. and extending quota restrictions to countries of this hemisphere whose immigrants are not now numerically limited and which countries absolutely exclude our nationals from entry for permanent residence or to work. We have over 10.000.000 unemployed and do not need and ought not to have admitted last year the hundreds of alien skilled and unskilled workers and job hunters that came in the 163.904 aliens the Bureau of Immigration reports legally entering our country during the fiscal year 1934. We have too many unemployed as it is without importing another one. Not only have we too many unemployed but we have too many applicants for relief. too many dependents. defectives. and delinquents without allowing another one to be imported. Each country should care for Its own unemployed and dependents. Charity should begin at home. Immigration should be further restricted and practically suspended. as H. R. 7079 provides. If enacted. it will not only really restrict immigration. but it will deport the three or four million aliens illegally and unlawfully in the country. and by so doing go a long way toward solving our unemployment and relief problems. because the bill expressly provides that all aliens must get naturalized forthwith or get out. and aliens illegally here cannot produce