Speech #820201549

Chairman. I rise simply to give an expression of opinion as to the first part of this amendment. Under the bill. as proposed. the President is given an untrammeled right. an uninhibited right to suspend immigration entirely. That is very broad power. There is no restriction upon his power. There is no statement that as a condition precedent for the exercise of such power there has to be a state of national emergency. either declared by the Congress or by the President himself. A state of war is not needed. He can simply. by fiat. by a stroke of the pen. say. "There shall be no immigration into this land of ours." That is what I call. and our founding fathers have always called. government by man. not government by law. I am firmly of the conviction. despite my high regard for the office of President of the United States. despite my high regard for the present incumbent of that high office. that the President of the United Statesshould not have such tremendous power. summarily to cut off immigration on any kind of grounds that might actuate him. I think the first part of the amendment is a worthwhile amendment and warrants favorable action by this committee.