Speech #820213999

S. 2842. as a substitute. We are not doing so because it. too. is a complicated bill. It. too. involves many. many areas of immigration policy which need to be reevaluated and restated. But we have eliminated what are considered to be the obvious glaring inequities of the present immigration laws. and by the substitute measure to the McCarran bill we are trying to give some relief. some semblance of justice. to the immigration policy at this session of Congress. What does our substitute provide? First. I may say to the JapaneseAmerican Citizens League. it completely and totally removes racial barriers as a means of disqualification for naturalization and for admission into the United States. In other words. the Exclusion Act is repealed and racial discrimination. insofar as orientals are concerned. is removed. That is No. 1. Under section 1 of the substitute measure. now on the desk of every Senator: No person shall be denied the right to become a citizen of. the United States or the privilege to enter the United States as an immigrant solely on the ground of his race. nor shall any applicant for admission be assigned to a quota solely on the basis of his race. Mr. President. this is unqualifiedly a removal of racial barriers and racial discrimination in immigration policy. I submit this meets the requirements of the Chinese. the Japanese. the Filipino. and others who are so concerned about racial barriers in our immigration laws. In substance the same features are In the McCarran billat least. some of them arethe amendment in the nature of a substitute completely eliminates racial barriers and discrimination and thus meets the need that many a Senator feels so deeply in his heart should be met. What Is the second feature of the amendment? It has been discussed eloquently in some detail by a number of Senators. most recently by the Senator from New York . The second feature relates to pooled quotas. The Senator from Illinois on Monday of this week read into the RECORD. and discussed for the purpose of enlightening the Senate. our whole immigration policy from 1890 to 1929. the time of the last major revision of the immigration laws. The pooled quota provision we recommend is. in substance. this: Out of approximately 150.000 eligible immigrants to the United States each year. we have been admitting from 70.000 to 80.000. The reason for this is that the major number of immigrants who come under the quota system. which is based on national origins. is allotted to Great Britain and northern Ireland. and those two countries have not been completely using their quotas. Despite all the many unkind words sometimes hurled against the British on the floor of the Senate. there are still people in Britain who seem to like their country. so they stay there and do not come to the United States. The Senator from Illinois pointed out how the British quota became so large. He showed how certain discriminatory features were written into the immigration law of 1920. so as to place emphasis upon the British quota and deemphasis upon quotas of other countries. I shall not burden the RECORD by going over all that statistical information. it Is there for all persons to study. Our pool quota programand it is the second section of our substitute bill--simply says that quota figures which are not used shall be placed in a pool. and from the pool. visas shall be issued for purposes of immigration on a preferential basis. What preferential basis do we outline? For example. we say that 25 percent of all unused visas. or 25 percent of the quota pool. shall be for family reunion preference. or for purposes of family reunion. The language simply points out that the quota shall be available to adult children. brothers and sisters. and other blood relatives. and to spouses. children. parents. brothers and sisters. and other blood relatives of naturalized citizens of the United States. That is what we call family reunion preference under the pool quota. It comprises 25 percent of the total pool.