Speech #820213987

I do not claim that our bill corrects all the defects of the McCarran bill. many of which I have mentioned in the last few minutes. But our bill does correct a substantial number of the most important defects. dangers. and threats of the McCarran bill. Our bill provides for the pooling of unused quotas and the making available of unused quotas to immigrants from areas which now have historically based small quotas. Our bill gives preference (a) to the reuniting of families. (b) to persons of special skills. and (c) to religious and political persecutees. Any portions of the pooled quotas not used for the above preferences would be made available for all other especially meritorious cases for whom assurances would be provided by American citizens or by reputable American organizations. Mr. President. as I have already pointed out. our present immigration law was enacted in 1924. as I recall. and was amended in 1929. The act of 1924 was placed on the statute books during a period of suspicion. hatred. and distrust of all foreigners. as a result of our unhappy experience in the first World War. That act is based on a niggardly quota system which permits the admission into the United States of only 154.000 persons a year. However. that is not the worst feature of that act. Mr.