Speech #850211023

Mr. Chairman. I wish to express my deep appreciation and great gratification that my amendment to increase the salary for the position of Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization from $17.500 to $20.000 was adopted. My attitude is based entirely upon my observations of the activities of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. the improvement in its operations. and the sound. firm. and fair method by which it is administering the immigration and nationality laws of the United States. I need not remark upon my deep interest in that subject or to call particular attention to the fact that the body of the immigration and nationality laws thus being administered is the Immigration and Nationality Act of which I am proud to be the coauthor. For that reason. and because of my chairmanship of the House Subcommittee on Immigration. I am firmly convinced that the duties and responsibilities of the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization in the direction of the operations of the Immigration and Naturalization Service call for compensation at the rate just approved by this body. Of course. it is basic that the compensation of a position should be applicable to the office and not the holder of the job. Nevertheless. I think we should take into consideration the accomplishments of the office of Commissioner during the recent past. The Immigration and Naturalization Act vested in the Attorney General primary authority for the administration and enforcement in the United States of all laws relating to immigration. naturalization. and nationality. Those powers were delegated to the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization. Under that act. the Immigration and Naturalization Service is responsible for the determination of admissibility to the United States of aliens seeking entry. it is charged with the duty of searching out those aliens who have entered this country illegally. and to accomplish their deportation. One of the most important duties of the Immigration and Naturalization Service is to ascertain the whereabouts of aliens in the United States who have rendered themselves unacceptable to this country because of their participation in subversive. criminal. or immoral activities. In respect to naturalization. the Service conducts necessary investigations of applicants. assisting them in filing their petitions. and participates in the court hearings at which final eligibility is determined by the judge. Representatives of the Service. in those cases. are actually appearing on behalf of the Government. One of the most important functions performed by the Service is the duty. spelled out in the WalterMcCarran Act. to guard the border of the United States against the illegal entry of aliens. I cannot overemphasize the benefits which this country has achieved as a result of the forthright and efficient reorganization of the border patrol. part of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and from the new concept as to its method of operations. Not long ago. and I am referring to a period as recent as 1954. the United States was literally undergoing an invasion. not in the military sense. but in the form of an avalanche that carried a dire threat to our health. safety. economic welfare. and. not the least. our security. Daily. thousands of aliens swept across our southern borders. men and women. seeking money or employment. they were willing to sell their labor at any price. far below the wages acceptable to our own citizens. It was unfortunate that these substandard wages were paid by some shortsighted persons at the expense of the standard of living of our own domestic agricultural workers. It is strange that while this Congress was writing strict legislation against the influx of cheap labor in the form of displaced persons and refugees from Europe. there were thousands daily. of unsponsored. unneeded. and unwelcome wetbacks moving across our southern border almost entirely without restraint. The border patrol at that time. as a result of uncoordinated efforts based upon outmoded and oldfashioned ideas. was wholly unsuccessful in attempting to stem the avalanche. As many as 3.000 aliens daily were sent back south of the border. only to return. many times. to their place of illegal employment before the officers who had apprehended them were able to get back to that place. Aliens. by eye witness. were known to have entered the United States in this fashion illegally several times during a single day.