Speech #810183800

The bill as passed by the House of Representatives amends subsection (e) of section 2 of the act of 1948 relative to displaced orphans by increasing the age limit from 16 years to 19 years of age. and by making provision for abandoned or deserted children. The bill. as reported by the committee. reletters subsection (e) as (d). restores the age limitation to 16 years as provided in the act of 1948. retains the provision for aban. doned or deserted children. and. because of the expanded definition of displaced persons in subsection (b) aforesaid. the committee has deleted the limitation of physical presence with respect to sectors and zones in this subsection of the act of 1948. The bill. as reported. contains a new subsection (e). defining a "child" to include a legally adopted child. so that legally adopted children will not be excluded because of the general immigration laws of the United States. Section 4 of the bill. as passed by the House of Representatives. and found on pages 8 and 9 of the bill as reported to the Senate. amends section 3 of the act of 1948. increases the number of displaced persons who may be admitted under the act of 1948 from 205.000 to 339.G00 and provides for not to exceed 5.000 special nonquota immigration visas to eligible displaced orphans. Of the total numerical limitation of 339.000 quota visas. 4.000 would be issued to persons who resided In Shanghai. China. and 18.000 would be Issued to certain members of the armed forces of the Republic of Poland. It should be pointed out here that section 2 of the bill. as passed by the House of Representatives. also provided for the issuance of 15.000 of the foregoing total quota immigration visas to persons who have come or may hereafter come into Germany. Austria. or Italy from socalled iron curtain countries. The bill. as reported to the Senate. omits the aforesaid 4.000 visas to residents of Shanghai. China. omits the aforesaid 15.000 visas to persons from countries behind the iron curtain. and increases the total number of quota visas authorized to be issued from 205.000. as provided in the act of 1948. to 320.000. Instead of 339.000. as provided in the bill passed by the House of Representatives. Of the total numerical limitations of 320.000 in the bill. as reported to the Senate. 290.000 visas are authorized to be issued to persons embraced in the general definition of displaced persons. 2.000 are authorized to be issued to displaced persons who are natives of Czechoslovakia. as provided in the act of 1948. 10.000 are authorized to be issued to persons who are natives of Greece. as defined in the definition in the bill as reported. 18.000 are authorized to be issued to members of the armed forces of the Republic of Poland. as defined in the definition in the bill. as reported. and as provided in section 4 of the bill as passed by the House of Representatives. In addition. the bill. as reported. authorizes the issuance of 5.000 special nonquota immigration visas to eligible displaced orphans. as provided in* the bill passed by the House of Representatives. and further provides that not more than 5.000 minors under the age of 16 years may be admitted if they are legally adopted in a court of competent jurisdiction. prior to June 30. 1951. by a citizen of the United States who is a member of the armed forces of the United States stationed in Germany. Austria. or Italy. or who is a civilian employee of the United States in Germany. Austria. or Italy. For the purposes of our general immigration laws. such persons shgl be deemed to be the natural born alien children of such adoptive parent and entitled to be admitted without visa. Let me say at this point. Mr. President. the able senior Senator from Maryland was exceedingly instrumental in bringing about the amendments with reference to orphans. This provision is found on pages 12 and 13 of the bill as reported to the Senate. Section 4 of the bill. as passed by the House of Representatives. further amends section 3 of the act of 1948 by providing that not more than 25 percent of the quota visas issued under the act shall be charged to the immigration quotas of the displaced persons nationality in any fiscal year. instead of the limitation in the act of 1948 that not more than 50 percent of such quotas shall be so charged in any fiscal year. The bill. as reported to the Senate. restores the socalled 50 percent mortgaging of quotas as provided in the act of 1948. This section of the bill. as passed by the House of Representatives. would add a new eligibility by setting aside not more than 50 percent of the nonpreference portion of the immigration quotas. as defined in the Immigration Act of 1924. for displaced persons who have emigrated to other countries for resettlement provided that they have not been firmly resettled in such country. The bill. as reported to the Senate. omits this provision with respect to displaced persons who have been resettled in other countries. Section 4 of the bill. as passed by the House of Representatives. further amends section 3 of the act of 1948 by deleting the requirement that 40 percent of the visas issued pursuant to the act shall be available exclusively to persons whose place of origin or country of nationality has been de facto annexed by a foreign power. The bill. as reported to the Senate. restores this requirement. It may be said here that persons covered by this limitation are the least likely to be repatriated to their country of nationality or origin.