Suffice it to say. these bills propose that the commissioners who would allocate these quotas would be political appointees. As I have said before. I much prefer that visas be allocated under a formula devised by mathematicians rather than under one contrived by politicians. The joint explanatory statement appearing in the RECORD of February 25. 1955. submitted by the sponsors of the alleged revision bill in the Senate refers to the flexibility of its proposed quota system. This proposal certainly has flexibility. if nothing else. In fact. it permits the politically appointed commissioners to exercise flexibility to the extent that. of the 250.000 quota numbers to be made available under the bill. only 250 numbers would be guaranteed to any one nation or quota area. leaving approximately 200.000 quota numbers to be dispensed by the commissioners at will. as political expediency may direct. True. the statement stipulates that not less than 25 percent of the quota shall be available for family preference. not less than 5 percent for occupational preferences. not less than 20 percent for surpluspopulation groups. and a minimum of 15 percent for refugees. but there is no restriction which would prevent the commissioners from allotting the total number of 200.000 visas to just one nation or quota area. One item in the statement calls attention to the liberal provision in the new bill that a naturalized United States citizen may return with equanimity to the country of his birth or of his former nationality and may permanently reside there throughout the rest of his lifetime without loss of United States citizenship. Coupled with the exemption in our incometax laws benefiting citizens who remain abroad for a period in excess of 13 months. we might question the advisability of permitting permanent retention of United States citizenship for persons so residing. It certainly does not substantiate the charge that the present law is "discriminatory. oppressive. and ruthless." But the whole issue turns upon the question of the quota.
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quota system naturalized visas refugees