Speech #840119351

Mr. Speaker. today the House received a special message from President Eisenhower on our immigration policy and in that message he made a series of recommendations for changes in the law as it now exists. As you Members of Congress know. there has been a great deal of discussion and controversy over our immigration laws during these past several years. A great number of recommendations have been advanced for changes in our basic immigration law in addition to those made by our President today. The message of the President today calls for sweeping changes in our basic immigration policy. These recommendations call for a reexamination of our national origins system because the President has proposed a new criteria for determining the number of immigrants to be admitted annually and a new formula by which quota numbers will be allocated to various parts of the world. Other recommendations have been made. several of which have been under consideration by the House Committee on the Judiciary for a considerable period of time. Then there are some other recommendations which are completely new. The President has called upon Congress to take immediate action on legislation which would enact into law his proposals. which obviously means he urges Congress to take action one way or the other during this session. As acting chairman of Subcommittee No. 1 of the Committee on the Judiciary which has special jurisdiction over immigration and nationality laws. I think that public hearings should be commenced as soon as possible on the recommendations advanced by the President as well as those recommendations which have been advanced hitherto by Members of Congress and others. I shall do my part to see that such public hearings are begun as soon as possible so that Congress will have the benefit of all important views on this subject. The Presidents message appears to underline the need for a more elastic immigration policy than now exists. I say this because it was necessary to enact special legislation in 1948 to meet the problem of displaced persons who were the victims of World War II. and then again in 1953 Congress found it necessary to enact special legislation in the form of the Refugee Relief Act in order to help out with the many human problems caused by Communist tyranny and aggression in various parts of the world. The likelihood exists that so long as the conspiracy of communism exists in this world and continues its inhumanities and tyrannies against people. we will continue to have refugees who plead with us for religious and political asylum. Since the Refugee Relief Act expires at the end of this year. the possibility exists that Congress will be asked for more special legislation in succeeding sessions unless we are able to find a way of meeting such problems through our normal immigration laws. This. of course. emphasizes the importance of Congress getting all the facts and points of view with respect to the Presidents recommendations as well as those made previously by Members of Congress. so that Congress can take whatever action is necessary before this session has adjourned.