Speech #760183305

Mr. President. in connection with Mexican immigration. I have a bill to limit immigration into the United States and to establish a quota system covering all countries and areas located in North. Central. and South America. and the islands adjacent thereto. and for other purposes. It will be recalled that we have no quota system for Mexico. Central America. South America. or the West Indies. That fact is important in view of the fact that residing south of us. in the countries of Central and South America and the West Indies. Is a population equal to that of the United States of America. which I believe our census this year will show. is about 135.000.000 to 140.000.000 people The bill has to do with restricting immigration. and I have prepared remarks in particular reference to the bill. Mr. President. Members of the Senate are thoroughly aware that I believe that the most satisfactory way to deal with the alien problem In the United States is definitely and positively to suspend all entries into our country for a term of years. but as an alternative to that proposal. if the Senate will not agree to suspend all immigration for a period of 10 years. I offer a bill which in simple terms establishes a quota system for the Western Hemisphere. It establishes this system with due regard to the goodneighbor policy. of which our President Is an ardent advocate. and in which I gladly and happily join our President. because I have always been very much impressed with the friendliness of the people of all the countries to the south of us. Let me digress at this point to say that I am very happy indeed to note that in some of the countries to the south of us our trade within the past year has increased 33 percent. and in some instances as much as 52 percent. I hope the State Department and our Commerce Department may succeed in continuing that increase in trade with our neighbors to the south. The bill takes as a basis the average entries of immigrants admitted from countries of the Western Hemisphere and islands adjacent thereto for the 4 fiscal years 1936 to 1939. during which the goodneighbor policy has been in effect. For this reason It cannot in any way be construed as discriminating. against our friends to the north of us or to the south of the Rio Grande. but. at the same time. my quota proposal establishes a very definite safeguard against an influx of alien refugees who are making Mexico. the West Indies. Central and South America a mere steppingstone to cover their entry into the United States by naturalization in those countries against which we now have no quota limitations. (At this point Mr. REYNOLDS introduced Senate bill 3730. which was referred to the Committee on Immigration. and appears under the appropriate heading. "Bills and Joint Resolutions Introduced.")