Speech #810211172

It does three things: First. it strikes out a provision of the House version of the bill which provides for mortgaging 50 percent of the nonpreference quotas for persons now in any part of the world. who were displaced either from the country of their birth or nationality. or from the country of their last residence. as a result of any event. whether or not connected with the war. which occurred subsequent to the outbreak of the Second World War. and who will say they cannot return because of fear of persecution. This would include virtually anyone who was in Italy or in the occupied zones of Germany or Austria at any time between September 1. 1939. and January 1. 1949. and who now is somewhere else. but does not want to stay there. There is no way in the world of telling what number of quota visas are thus made available. Anyone who has crossed a national boundary line. except a crossing into Italy or into one of the occupied zones in Germany or Austria. would qualify. and if he had crossed into Italy or into one of the occupied zones. and subsequently came back out again. before January 1. 1949. he would be eligible. Thus. a person would qualify if he crossed the border from the United States into Mexico. or if he crossed the border between Czechoslovakia and Russia. or between Russia and Lithuania. or between Colombia and Venezuela. To our mind. this is ridiculous. With regard to being displaced from the country of birth or nationality or last residence. the language is so broad that a person who was deported from Australia as a Communist would qualify. A person who joined the Russian Army and was ordered into Germany when that army moved into Germany would qualify. A Czechoslovakian diplomat who was recalled from a post in the United States would probably qualify on the ground that the United States was the place of his last residence and that his recall was an event subsequent to the outbreak of World War II. This provision simply means that anyone. anywhere. who has crossed a national boundary line. can come into the United States if he is willing to say. "I am afraid to go back to my own country for fear of persecution." This amendment also contains authority for the issuance of nonquota immigration visas to eligible displaced orphans. up to the number of 5.000. plus new language authorizing the admission of an additional 5.000 orphans under 16 years of age. who are adopted by members of the armed forces of the United States or by citizens of the United States employed in a civilian capacity by the United States. in Germany. Austria. or Italy. The specific provision of the amendment is that any orphan so adopted shall be deemed to be the naturalborn alien child of the adoptive parent. It was infeasible to provide immediately for the issuance of nonquota visas to orphans so adopted. because it is apparent that if the adoptive parents are stationed in Austria. Germany. or Italy. they might not be immediately ready to return to the United States. By giving these adopted orphans the status of naturalborn alien children. they will be eligible for nonquota visas whenever their adoptive parents decide to return to this country.