Speech #750168445

Permit me to call these facts to your attention while you are considering this question. Three thousand nine hundred and eightytwo of these cases have been stayed over a period varying from a few months to 5 years by the present Secretary of Labor. Two thousand six hundred and eightytwo were presented to you 2 years ago when I was a member of the Committee on Immigration. in which the then Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization solemnly affirmed all were "lily white" cases or pure cases with no crimes Involved. I had occasion to examine personally the records in some of these cases and found that such was not the case. and I called it to the attention of the Congress. Certain Members of the Senate did likewise. and listen to this testimony if you say there were no crimes involving moral turpitude in these cases. Mr. Shaughnessy. the Deputy Commissioner of Immigration. in testifying before the subcommittee handling this bill. at page 254 of the hearIngs. Labor Department appropriations. said that of the 2.682 cases. 34 have died. 111 were deported. 502 departed voluntarily. and of the 502 departing voluntarily 440 were readmitted lawfully. and of the 440. 257 were granted free examination prior to departure to Canada. This was done although the Congress was told more than 2 years ago that they were all "lily white" cases. stainless as the driven snow. But a further review of the cases caused Mme. Perkins and her Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization to deport Ill of them. What has happened? The Congress has refused to grant amnesty to these cases en bloc. although all of us recognize there are some genuine hardship cases. We should not vest absolute discretion in an administrative officer who has abused that discretion to the extent I have shown you. To my astonishment these hearings at page 274 disclose the then Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization admits he interceded with the Department of Labor to permit Emma Goldman. wildeyed anarchist Tom Mann. British Communist. and Willie Muesenberg. German Communist. to enter this country. although under the law they could not be granted a permanent visa. The Commissioner. Mr.