Speech #850166237

M. Swing. Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization. to the Attorney General. on the special Hungarian refugee program. In my view. the Immigration and Naturalization Service is worthy of the highest praise for the competency and efficiency with which it performed its significant duties in furthering the migration of the Hungarian refugees to the United States without any sacrifice of our national safety or security. I am much Impressed with the comments of the Attorney General. in his letter of transmittal. respecting the status of those Hungarian refugees who have been paroled into the United States and are now living here. The Presidents program relative to immigration. as represented by S. 1006. has my full support. Nevertheless. I believe it imperative that the Congress should take action without further delay in regard to certain portions of that program. On yesterday. I introduced a bill to establish a statutory procedure whereby the immigration status of the recently arrived Hungarian parolees may be adjustedas originally proposed by the President and contained in S. 1006. While I urge prompt action upon my bill. I wish it to be perfectly clear that there is nothing in my proposal which. if adopted. would make the adjustment of the immigration status of these people a hasty process for the sake of mere expediency. My bill would require physical presence in the United States for at least 2 years before the paroled alien could apply to the Attorney General to have his status changed to that of a permanent resident. Thereafter. -the Attorney General would make the necessary investigations and. if he approved the application in a worthy case. would be required to submit his determination for consideration by the Congress.