I have today introduced legislation to provide for the admission of 5.000 additional alien orphans adopted or to be adopted by American citizens. In introducing this bill. I recognize that it would implement only a small portion of the Presidents recommendations for changes in our immigration and naturalization laws. However. the recommendation it would implement is one that. as far as I have been able to determine. is least likely to be opposed by individuals and groups otherwise hostile to any change in present immigration quotas. Here in our wonderful land. we have thousands of childless couples living lonely lives in prosperous surroundings who will wait and have waited months and years for the chance to adopt into their homes one of the very limited number of American babies available for adoption. Elsewhere in the world. we have little children living lonely lives in abject poverty. sentenced by circumstances to a life short. sickly. and sad. We cannot relieve the vast misery of the world. rich and powerful as we are. We can. however. do our best to alieviate the most innocent of the worlds suffering multitudes and who is more innocent and deserving than a child left parentless in a part of the world where even the strong. organized and able bodied must toil ceaselessly for the bare essentials of existence. We must not let the more complex controversies surrounding major amendments to our immigration laws strangle a simple extension of our program to bring lonely children to lonely parents. to the joy of both. I urge the members. whatever their position on more major amendments to present immigration restrictions. to join me in pressing for early passage of an increase in the number of orphans under 10 years of age who may come to the United States for adoption by American citizens.
Keywords matched
naturalization immigration