Speech #830250194

We read in the newspapers daily of families arriving in the United States from various European countries as a result of this special legislation. In Italy an unusual and unexpected situation has developed. The Emergency Migration Act of 1953also referred to as the Refugee Relief Actprovided for the issuance of 15.000 special nonquota visas to Italian nationals who have immediate relatives in the United Statessisters. brothers. and adult children of American citizens. It also provided for the issuance of 45.000 special nonquota visas to Italian nationals who could qualify as refugees or escapees. I believe that the drafters of this emergency legislation now realize that the special nonquota allocations for Italian nationals should have been reversed. In other words. the 45.000 visas should have gone to the relatives of American citizens and the 15.000 to those who qualify as refugees or escapees. It has turned out that comparatively few Italian nationals qualify in the latter category as very few individuals who fled their homelands to escape political persecution resettled in Italy. On the other hand. many. many more relatives of American citizens have applied for nonquota visas under provisions of the Refugee Relief Act than can possibly be accommodated with the meager allotment of 15.000 visas. To date the American consular officers in Italy have on file approximately 44.000 approved petitions filed by American citizens for their relatives in Italy. Latest information from the visa office of the State Department is that only approximately 1.000 Italian nationals have applied for admission to the United States under the refugeeescapee provisions of the Refugee Relief Act. The Senate Chamber has an opportunity to correct this situation and I sincerely hope that this will be done before the 83d Congress adjourns in the next week or so. H. R. 8193 which was approved by the House of Representatives on March 15. 1954. and reported to the Senate by the Senate Judiciary Committee on August 2. contains a provision for permitting the issuance of nonquota visas to Italian nationals who are immediate relatives of American citizens but do not qualify as refugees or escapees. In other words. it throws open to Italians with approved visa petitions on file in their behalf any portion of the 45.000 nonquota visas which are not utilized by Italian nationals qualifying as refugees or escapees. The excerpt quoted previously from President Eisenhowers letter of April 22. 1953. gives strong evidence of the importance of opening our doors to the oppressed and needy of friendly countries. Our Government has pledged itself time and again to aid friendly countries who are in need.