Speech #760084362

Spanish subjects admitted to Puerto Rico.--- 43 179 300 11. American Indians of this continent ---------- 2 21 44 12. Other nonquota -------------------------------------- 13 6. 581 Total ------------------------------ 75. 555 583. 895 2.047.157 See. 5. or "quota immigrant" aliens ---------------- 27. 762 151.448 1.054.567 [Comments by J. H. Patten before the Senate Immigration Committee. March 24. 1939] Section 5 immigrants. of whom there were in 1937. 27.762. about ninetenths of whom had no near relatives here. and who were newseed immigrants. and during the past 7 years there were 151.448. and during the last 13 years. i. e.. since the enactment of the quotarestriction law of 1924. 1.054.567. ninetenths of whom had no near relatives here. every one of the ninetenths being a job hunter or relief seeker. or dependent upon someone who Is. should have been excluded. Senator REYNOLDS bill would exclude practically ninetenths of the 27.762 section 5 immigrant aliens that entered in 1937. ninetenths of the 151.448 that have entered during the 7 years 193137. and ninetenths of the 1.054.567 aliens that have entered since 1924. and who ought not have been admitted to further Increase our unemployment and relief burdens. directly or indirectly. From September 8. 1930. to January 1. 1937. consuls drastically restricted Immigration admissibility by refusing immigration visas to aliens they believe are "likely to become public charges" after admission here. Before September 8. 1930. there was no such administrative restriction. The effect of this administrative restriction is reflected in the number of section 5 admissions before and after 1930. there being 903.119 such admissions during the 6 years before 1930. as compared with 151.448 during the 7 years since 1930. On January 1. 1937. the President had the Secretary of State instruct consuls to relax in certain instances this administrative restriction inaugurated by Herbert Hoover on September 8. 1930. and to no longer regard increased unemployment here (there are now about 12.000.000 unemployed). lack of funds. and no near relatives here legally liable for their maintenance and support as the reasons they have been using since 1930 for refusing visas because the alien is "likely to become a public charge." particularly as to aliens from Germany and Austria. on account of political conditions there. Since this change there has been a noticeable increase in aliens unemployed and aliens demanding relief and charity. The 100percent increase in section 5. new seed or quota immigrants for 1937 over 1936. is due largely to this administrative relaxation and shows the urgent need of putting such administrative restriction on a more substantive basis of law by Congress passing some such bill as S. 407. by Senator REYNoaDs. that would exclude mere section 5 nonpreference aliens. practically every one of whom is necessarily a job hunter or relief seeker and who has no near relative here. The Reynolds bill. S. 407. has a 10percent exception for certain near relatives (preference quota) and for skilled labor and specialists that might be needed for new industries.