Speech #830100509

Speaker. this legislation has been bitterly opposed by many powerful groups within our country. Only this morning I received a telegram from the commander in chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars claiming that its passage would make a mockery of the McCarranWalter Act and would pose a new threat to internal security. Most of the mail I have received from my district has also been based on the allegation that it would destroy our present immigration laws. I would. in turn. like to quote from page 9 of the report of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the companion bill. S. 1917: The committee wishes to emphasize that the proposed legislation does not alter or amend the Immigration and Nationality Act and the program which this legislation authorizes is to be carried out in conformity with our established immigration laws and regulations. Now.. the security angle. Of course. there are Communist agents among these refugees from behind the curtain. But I was in visa work with the State Departanent. off and on. for many years and I can assure you of the painstaking care with which our consular officers. for the most part. scrutinize applicants who might be suspected of having Communist antecedents. Even behind the Iron Curtain. our visa officials have -a great deal of information available to them regarding the background of immigration applicants. Where such Information was not available. the visa was not granted. and even if a person should receive his visa under false pretenses. there is still a rigorous inspection on the part of our own immigration officials at the port of entry. I must add that extending the life of this legislation to 3 years will take much of the burden off of our people and give them more time to carefully screen and process an individual application. In this connection. I would like to say one word further. Much has been made of the risk to our security through the admission of thousands of immigrants from Europe. But if a subversive agent desires to get into the United States. does he need to get a visa and enter on a boat at New York Harbor? He does notall he needs to do is to go to Mexico and join the thousands of "wetbacks" who slip across the border every month. The Immigration Service can testify as to the vast numbers who enter illegally this way and also as to the small proportion who are rounded up and deported. This legislation in no wise increases the threat to our national security from clandestine entry. that threat has already been in existence for a long time. I hope. Mr. Speaker. that the number of visas to be granted under this bill will be reduced to a point consonant with the ability of our present consular and immigration personnel to do a thorough job of security investigation. I hope also that the period of time involved will be 3 years for the same reason. I would oppose any attempt to change our present immigration laws but this legislation. which Is both of an emergency and a temporary nature. does no such thing. I support the passage of H. R. 6481.