Speech #840000901

Mr. Speaker. I am introducing today an immigration and naturalization bill to revise our present immigration laws. The title of my bill is "Immigration and Citizenship Act of 1955." and it is intended to replace the McCarranWalter Immigration Act. Let me state at the very outset that the chief objection to the McCarranWalter Act is that it is based on the nationalsupremacy doctrine which maintains that the people of some nations were superior to others. According to the McCarranWalter Act. this idea is reflected in our present immigration policy. Needless to say. it is a fallacious theory because there is no such thing as a superior race or a superior people. A law reflecting such outmoded ideas has no place on our statute books and should be removed as soon as possible. We need an immigration law that will conform with American concepts of justice. fair play. and basic traditions. Mr. Speaker. I represent a cosmopolitan district in the city of New York. The people of our great city are for the most part of immigrant stock. They are either immigrants themselves or children and grandchildren of immigrants. Their roots are solidly planted in this country. They are intensely loyal and patriotic citizens of the United States. It is because they have known the adversities of life abroad at firsthand that they can best appreciate the American way of life. They and many millions of others throughout our country are intensely interested in the problem of immigration and are anxious for the United States to follow a liberal policy in the matter. I recall that during my service in the 82d Congress I had been approached by numerous people to help them in their immigration matters. Some of these were very tragic cases: Parents who wanted to be united with their children. broken families because the husband or the wife could not come here. deportation of the husband which left an entire family without support. and similar other cases. I did my utmost to help these people in every possible way. Unfortunately. our immigration laws in recent years have been rather harsh. discriminatory. and often inhumane. The McCarranWalter Act was intended to be a codification of all previous immigration and naturalization laws. but actually turned out to be a codification of all the discriminations and the prejudices against immigrants thought up during the past few decades. I am referring particularly to the quota system. the method of selecting immigrants who seek entry to this country. which dates back to the early 1920s when it was first enacted in an atmosphere of isolationism and hatred of all foreigners. Under the quota system a total of 154.000 immigrants may be admitted annually to the United States. The original law enacted in 1921 set up the quotas on the basis of the 1910 census. It also contained the obnoxious implication that the people of southern and eastern Europe are inferior to those of northern and western Europe. In 1924. the law was amended and made even more discriminating against those of southern and eastern European origin. Quotas were reduced from 3 to 2 percent. and the census basis was moved back from 1910 to 1890. the reason being that immigration from southern and eastern Europe had hardly begun by 1890. Naturally. the quotas for those countries were drastically reduced. Thus.