Speech #810190998

After that date I would assume that he is not covering anything that took place on the floor or in the committee hearing. I want to try to clear up the question. The proposition now before the Senate involves complaints which are being made as to the administrative procedure of the Displaced Persons Commission. the Visa Division. and the immigration inspectors. The Senator from Michigan has always contended that. under the law as it now stands. the Displaced Persons Commission has a job to do and it should follow the law to the letter. The Visa Division. which Is under a Cabinet officer. the Secretary of State. has a job to do. and it should follow. to the letter. the law. whether it be the displacedpersons law or the immigration law. The inspectors of immigration are under the Department of Justice. presided over by another Cabinet officer. the distinguished former Senator. Mr. Howard McGrath. now Attorney General. and that Department has a Job to do and should be following the law to the letter. It appears from the letter which was read by the Senator from Mississippi that the three departments got together and agreed that they would more or less delegate certain authorities from one to the other so that there would be no conflict and. I would assume. with the intention that there would be no overlapping in the administration of the displacedpersons law and other immigration laws. The Senator from Michigan does not agree exactly with that practice. He feels that when Congress writes a law it intends that every department shall carry out the law to the letter and will try in every way possible to carry out the intent of the legislative body. So that there may be no question in the future. so that all parties will be again advised as to what Congress had In mind. the Senator from Michigan has prepared -an amendment which he is going to offer. and which. he assumes. will be accepted by the distinguished Senator from West Virginia . who has charge of the substitute. The Senator from Michigan proposes to amend the present displacedpersons law by providing: The burden of proof shall be upon the person who seeks to establish his eligibility under this act. and no person shall be issued an immigration visa or be admitted into the United States under this act if the consular officer or the immigrant inspector knows or has reason to believe that the alien is subject to exclusion from the United States under any provision of the immigration laws or is not eligible under the terms of this act: Provided. That nothing in this section shall remove the right of review and appeal available to aliens under general immigration laws. In other words. the proposed amendment spells out to the Displaced Persons Commission that it shall perform its duty in screening everyone who comes under this act as an eligible displaced person. The Commission is not to take the word of any other department. It may ask other departments for advice. but it alone is responsible. We say in no uncertain terms that when a displaced person appears before a visa officer. the visa officer is to carry out the law. We provide that he is to determine whether or not a person shall receive a visa under the displaced persons law. whether or not he is eligible. and whether he comes within the general terms of the immigration law as a person entitled to admission to this country. Furthermore. when a displaced person appears before an inspector of immigration. the inspector shall carry out the law. He shall determine whether or not the person is eligible under the displaced persons law. or any other immigration law. The Senator from Michigan and. I am sure. all other Senators whose names are on the substitute. are eager to see that there is more effective screening. I should like to say also that the displaced persons law as it now stands provides for the kind of screening which no other immigration law provides. We have at the present time the CIC. That is the Central Intelligence Office. which is the investigating or the intelligence branch of the United States Army.