Speech #750245608

The bill. which has come to be known in popular parlance as the Dies bill. having been introduced in the House by the Representative from Texas. Mr. DIES. involves the question of deportation. Complete hearings were held on the bill a year ago. at which witnesses on both sides testified. In our country. so far as the immigration problem is concerned. we have a situation in which on one side we have a group which is very much opposed to anything which might be reasonable or fair to aliens. and unwilling to yield to the slightest extent in that respect. On the other side we have those who feel that aliens are probably a little better than our American citizens. and who ask for privileges for aliens Which our American citizens do not have. Unfortunately those who are interested in the problems of immigration are frequently divided into those two groups. and the great mass of the American people. whose minds run along the middle channel. never have an opportunity to be considered in connection with immigration problems. The bill makes certain amendments In the present law. It provides. in the first place. for the deportation of certain classes of aliens who are subject to deportation at the present time. It strengthens and restricts the law so far as the deportation of aliens is concerned. The bill. as amended by the committee. provides that aliens who have been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude and who have been sentenced to a term of at least 6 months shall be subject to deportation. In this particular it is a strengthening of our deportation laws. In the second place. the bill provides that those who have been convicted of the crime of carrying concealed weapons shall be subject to deportation. In the third place. the bill provides that those who have been convicted of violation of any narcotic law of any State. Territory. insular possession. or the District of Columbia. may be subject to deportation. At the present time a person who is convicted of violation of the Federal Narcotic Act is subject to deportation. but those who are convicted of violation of State or Territorial acts. or acts relating to the District of Columbia. are not subject to deportation. The bill provides that those who knowingly and for gain. induce or assist anyone to be smuggled into the United States in violation of the immigration laws. shall be subject to deportation. If they do it for gain. they are subject to deportation. If they do it twice without gain. they shall be subject to deportation. On the question of the adoption of this set of amendments to the law. the testimony before our committee by Commissioner MacCormack at the time he appeared showed that. under section 1 of the bill. it would be possible to deport 20.000 persons immediately. and that the bill would increase the possibilities of deportation to the extent or four or five thousand a year. This bill is opposed by the organizations in this country which believe in deportation. Their representatives testified against it. and yet it provides. in section 1. for amendments to the Immigration Act which will make possible a large deportation of criminal aliens. Section 2 of the bill. which has been the subject of most of the controversy. is the socalled hardshipcases section. As the bill came from the House it gave to the Secretary of Labor discretionary power to refuse to deport criminal aliens. provided they came within certain classifications. The Senate committee amendment has very. very largely restricted the power of the Secretary of Labor. The Senator from Vermont proposed an amendment which restricts the power of the Secretary of Labor to cases in which the only violation which has been committed by the alien Is a violation of the immigration laws themselves. I know Members of the Senate have received literature and have received letters from the organizations in this country which are opposed to the bill. saying that under it the Secretary of Labor would have broad power to let any criminal alien stay in the country. and they have fantastic figures as to the number that could be permitted to stay in under such an arrangement. As the Senate committee has proposed to amend the bill. the number is limited to persons whose only violation has been a violation of the immigration laws. It provides that the number the Secretary of Labor may permit to remain in the country shall be limited to 3.500 during the first year and not more than 1.500 during any succeeding year. and that this section of the bill shall remain in effect for only 4 years.