Speech #740149919

Why. Mr. Chairman. the Commissioner of Immigration an( Naturalization spent quite a long time in testimony befori the committee in public session and in exeoutive sessio and emphasized what kind of cases had been set aside witl a temporary stay of deportation. Colonel MacCormack told our committee. in part. a follows: I would like to read to you two comments on this aspect o the immigration law. The first is quoted from the report of th Wickersham Commission on Law Enforcement and Observance. I: the following words [reading]: "In deportation cases. even when the judgment is just an necessary. hardships are extreme. both upon those deported. an upon their families who are permitted to remain. and in th opinion of the Commission. the limited discretion to permit. I cases of exceptional hardship. a relaxation of the rigid require ments of the present statutes. would be consistent with t17 dignity of a great and humane nation." * * . * * * * * We have. however. the right to determine when deportatic shall take place. That is a right that has been established ar exercised through all the years the Immigration acts have been I existence. We set aside cases that at first appeared to us to be appealing. and fixed a date for deportation as of July 1 of last year. to enable our presenting these cases to Congress for its consideration. Congress failed to act favorably upon the first of the bills presented. as those of us who were present are painfully aware. but directly thereafter the gentleman who had led the battle on them came to us and urged us to continue the stay of the cases already stayed. and to continue the stay of such similar cases as might arise in the interval between Congress departure and its return. I refused to continue with the stay of these cases until I could have some definite proof that that was the intention. if not of the Congress as a whole. at least of the committee which was responsible for its immigration and naturalization activities. Your committee passed a resolution unanimously. which was communicated to the Secretary of Labor and to myself. as Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization. In that resolution. you asked us to continue the stay of the cases already stayed. and of such other cases as might arise in the Interval before Congress again convened. A bill was introduced into the Congress. with the same sort of a preamble to it. We considered these actions as evidence of an intention to seriously consider the proposals we had submitted and stayed the deportation of those cases. and of the new cases that have arisen. Nowand I wish to say this most seriouslyI would not have felt that I was entitled to my own selfrespect. had I failed to stay the deportation of the cases which have been stayed. or had I failed to use every effort to present the facts I have given to you today. to the Congress. We have been. of course. attacked for having stayed these cases. That is all right.