Speech #830040116

My DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: In your state of the Union message to the Congress occurred the following statement: "There is one sphere In which civil rights are inevitahly involved in Federal legislation. This is the sphere of immigration. "It is a manifest right of our Government to limit the number of immigrants our Nation can absorb. It is also a manifest right of our Government to set reasonable requirements on the character and the numbers of the people who come to share our land and our freedom. "It is well for us. however. to remind ourselves occasionally of an equally manifest fact: we areone and allimmigrants or sons and daughters of immigrants. "Existing legislation contains injustices. It does. in fact. discriminate. I am informed by Members of the Congress that it was realized. at the time of its enactment. that future study of the basis of determining quotas would be necessary." . In this statement you direct attention to the Immigration Act of 1952. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration which will hold hearings on several immigration bills which have already been introduced by various Members of the Congress. and in behalf of the committee. I am calling your attention to the fact that it would be very helpful if we could have before us when these hearings begin your suggested program with respect to our immigration laws. As a part of the "team" I should like to help implement your program insofar as I can consistently do so. If you are intending offering any immigration legislation during the present session of the Congress. we would appreciate having your program as early as possible so that we might have it in mind in considering other legislation which has been offered by Members of the Congress. Since the present immigration act was passed by more than a twothirds majority of both houses of Congress. it seems to me that the burden of establishing wherein the law should be amended or changed would be on the proponents. The law. as you know. has been in effect only since December 24. 1952. May I point out. also. that the Congress set up a Joint Committee on Immigration and Naturalization which has as its specific purpose a study of the operation and effect of the act of 1952. I happen to be the Chairman of that Joint Committee and we are undertaking a study of the operations of the present statute with the objective in view of proposing changes that may seem desirable. Again may I say both these committees want to be as helpful as possible.