Speech #810183820

In one case. the applicant was an infant born in 1946. 2 years after it allegedly entered Germany. and In the other case. the applicant was an infant born in December 1948. 4 years after allegedly entering Germany. This Commission employee stated that in his experience he had found that the IRO would certify to anything which would help a displaced person to qualify under our act. I was advised repeatedly by officials of the Consular Service. the Immigration and Naturalization Service. the Counter Intelligence Corps of the Army. and by United States citizens in the employ of the International Refugee Organization. that section 2 (b) of the act should be repealed. substituting in lieu thereof a definition which did not depend upon the discretion of the IRO and which could be readily interpreted by United States officials without reference to an international organization. Mr. President. the Congress is more than capable of defining displaced persons who will be made eligible for immigration to the United States. without resorting to discretionary findings. constructions. and interpretations made by alien employees of an international organization. The Judiciary Committee. therefore. has recommended in the present bill an amendment to section 2 (b) of the act specifically defining displaced persons and expanding the definition contained in the present law. to which I shall refer later in my remarks. Responsible officials of our Government operating in Europe in every phase of our displacedpersons program stated again and again that if the 1948 act is to be amended at all. the determination of eligibilty of applicants should be centered in trained consular and immigration officers. This. of course. was the plain intent of Congress when it provided in section 10 of the act thatExcept as otherwise expressly provided in this act. the administration of this act. under the provisions of this act and the regulations of the commission as herein provided. shall be by the officials who administer the other immigration laws of the United States. It is written indelibly into the law as it now stands. But how it has been flouted.