Speech #760053234

Of course. there is a very good reason. therefore. why they will not grant permits whereby these agents in the United States may be expelled from the United States. Believe me. however. if this bill becomes a law. and there is a possibility that these radical representatives and proponents of this foreign doctrine may be detained in places like Ellis Island. they will have no trouble in getting the consent of their mother countries for their return. This bill implements the deportation law but does not affect all deportable aliens. In order that I may be most liberal I quote from the minority report filed by the gentleman from New York . wherein he says that this bill "relates only to aliens who fall into the following categories: (1) Criminals. (2) violators of the narcotic laws. (3) anarchists and kindred classes. and (4) immoral cases." Now is there any good reason why any alien criminal. who has committed a crime involving moral turpitude and is deportable under the laws of our country. should be permitted the same privileges as our lawabiding citizens and run at large in our midst? Is there any reason why the alien narcotic peddler. who goes about the country peddling poison and death to all those weak souls who will buy. should have protection? Is there any reason why an alien anarchist. who is deportable. should enjoy the freedom of our land? And last. but not least. is there any reason whythe alien procurer. the violator of the whiteslave law. those who profit and live by the vice. degradation. and immorality of our womanhood. should be permitted to remain with us in violation of the immigration laws? It seems to me that some of our friends are showing more concern for these four groups affected by this bill than they are about our citizens. our young womanhood and manhood. and the preservation of those things which mean so much to America. It is insisted here that the enactment of this law means the confinement in concentration camps of large numbers of aliens who reside in this country. and who have been residents of this country for many years. establishing homes and rearing families. The destruction of these homes by a ruthless government. cruel separation of families. and the herding of these aliens in stockades is pictured. Now. this is impossible under any fair interpretation of this bill. In the first place. the bill explicitly provides that those coming within the law may beConfined. though not at hard labor. until such time as deportation shall have become feasible. or departure from the United States otherwise shall have been arranged. or until the Secretary of Labor. upon such evidence of good cause. shall order the release of such alien. temporarily or permanently. on such bond as may be required. with or without rescinding the warrant of deportation. Parenthetically. I might observe that if the present Secretary of Labor proceeds as leniently in the enforcement of the deportation laws of the future as she has in the past. there might be reason to doubt the efficacy of this law. It is true that very unusual discretion is given to the Secretary in order that no injustice or arbitrary and unreasonable hardships may be imposed upon any of these deportable aliens. In this connection. I call your attention to the language. on page 3. line 8. of the bill. where specific instruction is given to the Secretary of Labor. making clear that she has sufficient power and authority to see to it that none of the hardships which are feared by the opponents of this bill are wrought. Why. under this provision the Secretary can even release from detention any deportable alien. simply because the Secretary feels that by reason of age the health of the alien might be injured by detention. or that she feels that there is little likelihood of the alien resuming the course of conduct which made him deportable. Another objection that has been urged to this bill in this debate is that power is given to the Secretary of Labor to set up concentration camps at her will anywhere in the United States. in which she will be permitted to imprison and confine these deportable aliens. In this connection let me call your attention to section 3 of the bill. which provides thatThe Secretary of Labor is authorized and directed to arrange for proper places of detention in established institutions for those aliens required by this act to be taken Into custody and confined. It is true that the bill as originally introduced did give the Secretary of Labor authority to establish detention farms. This has been eliminated and when this bill becomes a law. and these aliens are detained. it will be in an established institution. and the Judiciary Committee was advised that the place would probably be Ellis Island in New York. You will recall that this is the immigration station through which all immigrants entering the United States through New York must pass. It is not a prison. It is not a stockade or anything of that kind and. for my part. it is really too good a place to keep these undesirable aliens at Government expense. It is interesting to note who is opposing this bill. No objections were raised by any group or organization. so far as I have been able to learn. until after the bill was reported.