Speech #810209329

These include such factors as moral character. health. whether the applicant is a security risk. his political background. and his likelihood of becoming a public charge. In most of these matters the Displaced Persons Commission has the right to reject an applicant. And if he is rejected. neither the consular service nor the Immigration Service sees the applicant. because he has already ben rejected. But if the Displaced Persons Commission approves an application. the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Foreign Service still have the final and complete veto power. on the basis of all the criteria of admissibility. including those contained in the Displaced Persons Act. The regular immigration laws of the United States contain 20 or more grounds for barring a wouldbe immigrant from entering the United States. The Displaced Persons Act contains additional grounds. For any one of these reasons or for any combination of them. an immigration inspector or a consular officer of the United States can refuse to approve the application of a displaced person. The Displaced Persons Commission has no power or authority to overrule the consular service or the Immigration Service in these fields. In cases where it can be shown. or where there is ground for reasonable belief that a displaced person has utilized fraudulent documents to obtain certification as a displaced person. the consular and Immigration Services have not only the full right but the duty to deny admittance. I should like to emphasize again and again that these two branches of. the Federal Government retain under the Displaced Persons Act all the power they possess under the normal immigration laws of the United States. plus additional powers granted them solely under the Displaced Persons Act. The substitute bill retains and enhances these powers. The FergusonOConor amendment. which I shall support as a refinement to the Kilgore substitute. makes this even clearer than it is now. There Is no question in my mind that the Immigration Service and the consular service should have the final and absolute power to determine the admissibility of any displaced person into the United States. These services should be ableand are ableto reject any applicant who is a security risk. These services should have all the information they need or can obtain to aid them in determining whether an applicant is a security risk.