Speech #740085559

We have had to rely upon the reports of the shipowners. However. it has been carefully estimated that not less than 500.000 aliens deserted their ships in the period of 10 years prior to 1930 and were lost in our population. The present Commissioner of Immigration. Mr. MacCormack. stated in his annual report for the year ended June 30. 1933. as follows: In the past oftentimes as many as half of the crew of vessels of certain flags. passed as bona fide seamen. would desert in port and when the vessel came to sail the master would sign on none or very few others to replace them. a plain indication that the crew was excessive upon arrival. and a moral certainty that aliens had been signed on for a consideration and with foreknowledge that illegal entry into the United States was planned. This is one of the many rackets to circumvent the immigration laws. but is not actionable unless convincing and corroborative evidence of conspiracy is obtained. which is almost impossible. as the deserters speedily lose themselves in our population. The former Commissioner General of Immigration. in his annual report for 1931. states: For the 21 years. from 1907 to 1927. a total of 271.197 alien seamen deserted at seaports. and this number. added to the recorded desertion since then. brings the figure to 307.320 in just 25 years. or an average of 12.292 per year. Mr. Frank Morrison. the secretary of the American Federation of Labor. testified on February 24. 1931. before the House Committee on Immigration and Naturalization in reference to alien seamen. He submitted evidence to show that at least 500.000 immigrants have unlawfully entered the United States disguised as seamen since 1921. This figure has been used by many authorities as accurate. In the petition and memorials submitted to Congress by Andrew Furuseth. president of the American Seamen of America. it is stated that Chinese have paid from $1.000 to $1.100 for being landed in the United States. and excluded Europeans and South Americans have paid from $200 to $400.