Speech #750060757

I join with Mr. STARNES and Mr. SCHULTE and others in opposing the provisions of that bill. because I was opposed to granting any unlimited discretion to any department to say who should or should not be deported. It was my original thought that the way to handle all these meritorious cases was through special bills. I am absolutely convinced as a result of what has occurred in this House that it is impossible to deal with this situation through special bills. We had a demonstration of that fact not long ago when 15 special bills were before this House. The House consumed 5V2 hours considering four bills and made no disposition of any of the bills. So necessarily the Congress of the United States. representing 127.000.000 people and dealing as it does with many major questions. cannot deal with all of the cases that are entitled to exceptions in the deportation laws. This compromise proposal limits that discretion. First it says except as to aliens who are Anarchists or Communists. and so forth. That excludes from the operations of the act * those aliens who. under the provisions of existing laws. are classified as radicals or Anarchists or Communists. It also excepts from this discretion those aliens who have imported opium or who are subject to deportation under an act to amend an act entitled "An act to prohibit the importation and use of opium for other than medicinal purposes." It excepts them from the discretion. Also aliens who are subject to deportation upon the ground that they have violated a narcotic law. and aliens who are criminals. prostitutes. procurers. or other like immoral persons. It first limits the discretion vested in the Department of Labor as to the character of aliens that can be granted leniency or exception from deportation. Then. in addition to that limitation upon the exercise of the discretion. there is a time limit placed in the bill of 4 years. At the expiration of 4 years no further discretion can ever be exercised by the Secretary of Labor.