Speech #760240129

Mr. Speaker. the Congress of the United States is to be congratulated upon bringing to enactment this excellent piece of legislation. It is said to be the first and only thoroughgoing attempt to plug the holes which experience has developed in our immigration and deportation laws. which were passed a quarter of a century ago. It is believed that it does that job and does it well. It is my joy to announce that this bill will do. in a perfectly legal and constitutional manner. what the bill specifically aimed at the deportation of Harry Bridges seeks to accomplish. This bill changes the law so that the Department of Justice should now have little trouble in deporting Harry Bridges and all others of similar ilk. The Supreme Court of the United States. in its decision of the Joe Strecker case. held that the provisions of our deportation statute of 1918 did not apply to an alien who had been a member of an organization which advocated the overthrow of our Government by force or violence if he had ceased to be a member. The pending measure amends that law so that it will provide that any alien who at any time after his entry into the United States shall have been a member of any such organization shall be deported. Therefore. after this bill becomes law. it will be perfectly clear that any alien who has ever been a member of such an organization before coming to this country cannot enter. or if at the time of his entry or at any time thereafter he has been. even for 1 minute. a member of such an organization he shall be deported. These provisions. in conjunction with the other improvements in our deportation law wrought by this bill should make it impossible for any such alien to enter this country in future and also enable us to deport all those of that kind who are now here. The bill of which our distinguished colleague from Louisiana is the author. even if it becomes law. can. in my judgment never accomplish its avowed purpose. In my opinion. it is unconstitutional and will be so declared if it ever reaches the stage where its constitutionality may be challenged. In addition to the strengthening of our deportation law. this bill protects the Army. Navy. Coast Guard. and to some extent the Merchant Marine from subversive propaganda. For the first time in the history of our Nation. the activities of the prapagandists who in peacetime seek to impair the loyalty. morale. or discipline of our military or naval forces. or to induce insubordination. disloyalty. or mutiny. are outlawed: The pending measure requires every alien who applies for a visa to be fingerprinted in duplicate. This fingerprinting is required to be done in the aliens home country at the time of his application for visa. Also it is required that every alien in the United States be registered and fingerprinted. The reasons for these requirements are manifest.