Speech #740079729

If an alien has been permitted under our laws to come here and is behaving himself in our midst. and is subscribing to our laws and Constitution. I state that he has committed no wrong. and I say further that. even if he has not yet chosen to take the first steps under our laws toward becoming a citizen. he is entitled to the protection and equal opportunity under our laws. and is entitled also to the proper protection of the provisions. as an alien. of section 20 of the act of March 4. 1909. (See sec. 52 under title 18 of the United States Code. on p. 462 of 44 Stat. pt. 1.) I claim we should legislate to help him in any desire he may have. to become a citizen rather than blame him for the economic difficulties of this country. I reiterate that I doubt if there are more than 4.000.000 persons of foreign birth now in the United States who were lawfully admitted under our immigration laws and who at this time have not either become citizens or filed declarations to become citizens. in other words. still are. properly speaking. aliens here. I know of no way that anything like an accurate estimate can be made to show the number of foreignborn persons in the United States who have come here without being lawfully admitted under some provisions of our immigration laws. Why pick on the alien all the time. simply because he is foreign born? They are entitled to the protection of our laws. What you ought to do now is to pick on the criminal who is an alien. and I am here to cooperate with the House to deport all these alien criminals who are in the United States. irrespective of the number of crimes that may have been committed since their arrival in this country. My committee has before it at the present time a bill that will do that very thing. It will create a power in departments to deport all alien habitual criminals in the United States to their respective native countries. and. once deported. they will have to stay out of the United States. This bill. I sincerely hope. will be reported next week.