Speech #800180837

I shall now pursue the history and development of the problem before us. It is so broad and there is so much to it that I have tried to condense it to those facts which will bear upon the pending legislation. A Presidential directive of December 22. 1945and for Senators who are present I call attention earnestly to this statementa Presidential directive of December 22. 1945. gives priority in certain categories of immigration visas to be given to displaced persons who immi-" grate to the United States. In other words. on December 22. 1945. the President of the United States issued a directive saying that displaced persons should be given priority upon the regular immigration list into this country. Since then. approximately 33.000 displaced persons have been admitted into the United States under our quota laws and it is estimated that at the end of our present fiscal year. June 30. 1948and the estimate was made at the time of the drafting of the report now before the Senatethe number of displaced persons admitted into the United States will be approximately 50.000. I want to call that to the attention of the Members of the Senate. Many people think that no displaced persons have been admitted into this country. Mr. President. that many have been admitted into this country. and admitted freely as immigrants with no controls over them whatsoever. How vastly different that is from the admission of such persons into other countries of the world which have accepted any number of them. I may emphasize that the 50.000 displaced persons who will have been admitted into the United States by the end of the present fiscal year will have been admitted under our regular quota laws. that is under the regular immigration laws. Thousands of additional displaced persons have come and been admitted into the United States outside the quota law as nonimmigrants. for temporary periods. and these additional thousands are now seeking permanent immigration status. That is. having come here as visitors. having come here on travel visas. not as immigrants. once here they seek to stay here as permanent residents. and there will be offered. I am advised. an amendment to the bill to permit those who have come here presumably as visitors to stay as permanent residents. Ithink these facts should be called to the attention of the Senate in dealing with the subject.