Speech #830272015

Mr. Speaker. the Refugee Relief Act. which was supposed to have meant a substantial increase in immigration into the United States. not only of escapees from behind the Iron Curtain but also of Italian and Greek relatives of American citizens. has been one of the worst administered acts in history. During the first year of its operation. only a handful of persons was admitted. The whole idea behind the administration of the law seems to be not how to speed up admissions but how to keep people out. Responsibility for administration of the law was turned over to the State Departments chief copits security officer. He and his subordinates seem to look upon every potential immigrant as a potential enemy of the United States. Certainly we have to be careful of the kind of people we admit to this country. no one opposes that. But under the strict provisions which already exist in the immigration laws for admission of aliens to the United States. and under the requirements for American sponsorship of these immigrants and assurances that there is a place for them here. it is nonsensical to go the extreme lengths our Government is going in order to try A6587 to find excuses to deny admission to every possible applicant. Many of the residents of the Second Congressional District in Philadelphia have informed me of the great difficulties they have experienced under this law. and under the immigration laws generally. in having relatives admitted to this country. It has really become a national disgrace. The Refugee Relief Act. as many of us insisted at the time it was passed. was in many respects poorly drawn and mistakenly conceived. particularly in its provisions affecting people in Italy. There are many thousands of Italian relativesclose relatives of American citizens who are eligible for admission to the United States but who have to wait and wait and wait for visas under the small quota assigned to Italy. Only a small group of Italian residents. on the other hand. are eligible for admission to this country as escapees from behind the Iron Curtain. Yet the Congress provided many thousands of nonquota visas for escapees and refugees in Italy and only 15.000 for Italians who are not escapees but who are close relatives of Anlerican citizens.