Speech #820209104

Speaking of authority. there is a provision in the McCarran bill. an unprecedented provision. section 212 (e). which would give the President of the United States the authority to bar any and all aliens. or any class of aliens. at any time the President felt such a move was required in the public interest. This is plain authority for the President to shut off all immigration. at any time. or to reduce it at any time. or to shut off immigration from any country. at any time. in time of peace as in time of war. I have heard. in recent days. great declamations and some pretty heated speeches concerning the dangers of granting unlimited powers to the President. or to any administrative official. Yet here it is proposed to enact a very detailed law concerning immigration. but including a provision authorizing the President to end all immigration or change its character at his discretion. Certainly for times of emergency I am convinced that the President should be given broad powers. but those powers should be defined. and the conditions of emergency under which he may exercise them should be defined. If the President is to be given the power to suspend immigration or a portion of immigration when emergency conditions warrant such actionand I would not quarrel with that if the powers and the conditions were adequately definedhe should also be given the power to admit more aliens. more immigrants. without regard to the limitations in the law. if that is required in the national interest. in a time of emergency. However. the McCarran bill. so cautious about reserving power to admit immigrants. is completely careless and extravagant about granting power to exclude immigrants. Of course. this theme runs all through the bill. Even if some of the worst provisions are removed. this characteristic will still remain to be remedied. Thus. in the bill. there are 41 placesI point this out in answer to a question asked by the Senator from Connecticutwhere the power to exclude or deport is dependent on the opinion of the consul or the opinion of the Attorney General. and there are in the bill 30 additional places where deportation or exclusion or other overt action in regard to aliens and even naturalized citizens is dependent on the satisfaction of the consul or the satisfaction of the Attorney General. Mr. President. I could go on for hours. In this bill there are scores of incredible provisions affecting not only immigration. but also deportation. and all the bad features of present law affecting denaturalization are retained and enhanced in the McCarran bill. Take the matter of deportation. for example. There are nearly 3.000.000 aliens in the United States. and there are 8.000.000 naturalized citizens. Provisions for deportation can affect any one or every one of the nearly 3.000.000 aliens. Many of the deportation provisions of the bill can affect many naturalized citizens. for under the McCarran bill. revocation of citizenship for naturalized citizens is made easier. and many new grounds for denaturalization are provided. some of them technical and unsubstantial. . In the McCarran bill deportation is treated as if it were a minor penalty. to be invoked almost indiscriminately. for scores of reasons. for minor offenses as well as for major ones. and in some instances as an expression of mere disapproval of attitudes. as well as of actions. Deportation. I assure you. Mr.