Speech #740208255

The Department of Labor is proving a faithful guardian of the rights. not only of labor but. so far as it is within its prerogatives. the rights of American citizens. If this bill shall be defeated. then labor can justly charge the opponents of the bill with the retention in the United States of at least 20.000 aliens. many of whom have criminal records. and some of whom will compete with American citizens in the fields of labor and industry. The proposition is squarely presented: Shall 20.000 undesirable aliens be deported. or shall they remain in the United States? Shall approximately 2.800 aliens who may be deported under existing lawnot because of crimes or because they are undesirables--be permitted to have their cases reviewed by a competent board for the purpose of determining whether they shall be permitted to remain in the United States? And as a part of the latter proposition. and as a necessary corollary to it. whether four or five thousand children born in the United States of American mothers shall be left without support because their fathers. under the strict and rigid application of existing immigration laws. may be deported? The problem before us presents the question as to whether American mothers of these thousands of children shall be deprived of their husbands and have the burden cast upon them of attempting to feed and clothe and educate their children. It is obvious that this bill does not deal with immigration. it deals with present and immediate problems--problems involving the lives and welfare of several thousand people. many of whom are American citizens. The deportation of a limited number of aliens who are not charged with crime. who are industrious and honest. and who are supporting their wives and their children. and who are a part of the industrial life of the Nationthis is one of the questions before us. The other question is that of obtaining authority to remove from our shores approximately 20.000 persons who are violators of law and whose presence is inimical to the peace and welfare of American citizens. Those who oppose this bill in effect vote to keep these 20.000 aliens in the United States.