Speech #810183839

President. lest perchance I might be misquoted. I shall repeat that statement: As a matter of fact. we have taken more displaced persons than any other nation has. and. what is more. during the period immediately preceding the war. down to the present date. we have taken more displaced persons than all the other nations of the world combined have taken. It should be remembered that. unlike most countries of the world. the United States operates under an immigrationquota system whereby approximately 154.000 quota immigrants may be received annually for permanent residence. chiefly from European countries. In addition. immigrants are received for permanent residence on a nonquota immigration basis without any numerical limitation. The latter group consists chiefly of immigrants from the Western Hemisphere and of relatives of citizens of the United States. As an example. during the fiscal year 1948. there were admitted for permanent residence 92.526 quota immigrants and 78.044 nonquota immigrants. or a total of 170.570 irhmigrants. During the fiscal year 1949. there were admitted for permanent residence 113.046 quota immigrants and 75.271 nonquota immigrants. or a total of 188.317 Immigrants. Although our general Immigration laws do not provide specific categories for displaced persons. reliable official and semiofficial estimates are that during the Nazi regime. through 1947. we received into the United States under our Immigration laws between 250.000 and 300.000 displaced persons for permanent residence. and approximately 200.000 displaced persons for temporary stay. In addition. pursuant to a Presidential directive of December 22. 1945. approximately 44.000 displaced persons were admitted into the United States for permanent residence from the date of the directive to the effective date of the present displacedpersons law. June 25. The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 provides for the admission of 205.000 displaced persons over a 2year period. and also provides for adjusting to permanent residence the status of 15.000 displaced persons who have gained admission on a temporary basis into the United States. Thus. it Is seen at a glance that. without amending the present law. by June 30. 1950. we shall have received approximately 549.000 displaced persons for permanent residence and approximately 200.000 for temporary stay. of which 15.000 will be permitted to adjust their status to permanent residence. In addition. of the 358.887 quota and nonquota immigrants during the fiscal years 1948 and 1949. some were undoubtedly displaced persons coming as regular immigrants. but there is no reliable way of estimating the number of displaced persons arriving under our general immigration laws. So you see. Mr. President. the charge that we have not taken our fair share is not founded on fact. and this is demonstrated by the record. The bill. as reported to the Senate. will Increase the total numerical limitation of displaced persons under the act of 1948 from 205.000 to 320.000. an increase of 115.000. Of the total of 320.000 visas authorized to be issued. 2.000 will be available to natives of Czechoslovakia. as provided in the present law. 10.000 will be available to natives of Greece. 18.000 will be available to certain members of the armed forces of the Republic of Poland. and 290.000 will be available to displaced persons in the general category. as compared to 203.000 under the present law. If the 115.000 increase provided in the bill is agreed to. we shall have received for permanent residence in the United States 300.000 as regular immigrants. plus 44.000 under the Presidents directive. plus 15.000 temporary residents who may have their status adjusted to permanent residence. plus 320.000 under the Displaced Persons Act. as amended. ormark this. Mr. Presidentapproximately 679.00C displaced persons by June 30. 1951. without counting those who are admitted as regular immigrants during 1948. 1949. 1950. and 1951. In addition. the bill makes provision for the admission of 5.000 orphans or abandoned children and 5.000 adopted children. How can it be said that we have not taken our fair share. in the face of this record?