Speech #810183851

Mr. President. I want again to call the attention of this distinguished body to the substitutebill provision whichand I want to emphasize thisassures 54.744 visas to expellees. and provides for their ocean transportation to the United States. something which has not been done before. Third. I am sure. Mr. President. that fairminded and objective people favor a continuation of the present administration of the displacedpersons program. The committee bill creates a serious and unnecessary slowdown in operations by a provision that final determinatioiand I stress the words "final determination." of eligibilityby that is meant eligibility to be classified as a displaced person. not admissibility for immigrationshall be made exclusively by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the American Foreign Service. In other words. the Displaced Persons Commission could make a finding that a certain person was eligible as a displaced persorn? Then he would appear before the Foreign Service officer for his visa. That office would go over the same ground. and would make a final determination as to his eligibility to be classified as a displaced person. before it would consider him as qualified for a visa. Then he would go before the Immigration and Naturalization Service. and the question of whether he was a displaced person would arise again. and that Service would make another final determination. In other words. there would be three investigations and seemingly several "final" determinations. That is what the situation would be under the bill as reported by the committee. That bill provides that both the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Foreign Service of the Department of State shall make the "final" determination of eligibility of applicants. We cannot understand how these two agenciesacting separately and. under the normal immigration law and procedures. one after the other. the immigration officers pass upon admissibility after issuance of the visa by the consuls--can both make the final decision. In other words. the displaced persons must first appear before the consul and must satisfy him that they are eligible to come into the United States as immigrants. just as they would have to do if they were coming under a regular quota. Then they must appear before the Immigration Inspector. and must satisfy him that they come within the limitation of our immigration laws. in other words. that they will not become public charges and they are not diseased. They would have to qualify in every way that is required in the case of other immigrants. At the present time that is being done abroad by our regular Consular Service. by an outpost of immigration inspectors we have sent abroad. Normally. that would be done at Ellis Island. for instance. But now it is done abr6ad by some of the Governments inspectors.