Speech #850139060

Speaker. I rise in support of this bill. It makes some valuable and muchneeded changes in the immigration laws. which will provide relief in many types of hardship cases. and will make for a more fair administration of the law. Among the helpful provisions in this bill are those which will revive unused visas authorized under the Refugee Relief Act which expired last December. wipe out mortgages on future quotas which resulted from former laws admitting displaced persons but requiring that their numbers be charged to future quotas. authorize the waiving of the fingerprinting of visitors and others. liberalize provisions as to adopted children. hardship cases. skilled specialists. refugees from behind the Iron Curtain. These provisions will make possible the reuniting of families. and prevent the hardships of family separations sometimes resulting from technicalities in the present law. They will extend the hand of friendship and hospitality to many orphans and to children under 14 adopted by United States citizens. They will bring help to many oppressed peopleall in accordance with the best traditions of the United States. A half a loaf is better than none. and this bill should certainly be supported despite the fact that it fails to act on major amendments recommended by the President. such as changes in the quota system. and regularization of the status of parolees from Hungary. The chairman of the House Subcommittee on Immigration has already announced extensive hearings on the question of these further amendments to the law. and it is certainly desirable that action be taken along the lines recommended by the President to remove what he referred to as discriminatory features in the existing law. The bill now before the House is good as far as it goes. but it does not go far enough.