Speech #810333914

I decline to yield further. Mr. Speaker. the immigration laws which are being amended. were enacted in 1917 and 1918 when nobody had the slightest idea of the extent of the international Communist plot. and of the methods of subversion it uses. Immigrants were prevented from coming to the United States if they were "advocating the forceful overthrow of the Government of the United States"--anarchists. Since that time there has been developed a different concept of world revolution. All that has been done by the conferees has been to bring the immigration and naturalization laws up to date. The sections with respect to deportation have been amended for the same purpose. We have recognized the fact that certain people have come to the United States with diplomatic visas and passports. who are here only for the purpose of committing acts of subversive plotting or of sabotage. The law has been amended so that with proper safeguards around those people. they can be excluded at our doors or directed to leave the country. Then. again. there is this question of other countries refusing to take people who have been ordered deported. We attempted to do something about that in the Hobbs bill. I believe. with all due respect to my colleagues on the conference. that the Hobbs bill. as reported by the Committee on the Judiciary. was a stronger bill. However. the section which relates to the provision of the Hobbs bill. which is in this conference report. is a good one. But we have gone a step farther and we have provided for retaliation against those countries which refuse to take back their nationals who have been ordered deported. Should a country. upon request. deny or unduly delay acceptance of the return of its national or citizen. the Secretary of State is being instructed to order that immigration visas shall not be issued to citizens. nationals. or residents of such country. This retaliatory measure will. however. be applied only in the territory of such country. so that refugees. exiles. displaced persons. and so forth. who have been driven out from behind the iron curtain will not be penalized. It certainly seems to me that that is a very sensible provision.