Mr. President. I was indeed pleased that the distinguished chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee recently announced that hearings would start on May 20 on general immigration legislation. One of the urgent matters before the committee is the extension of the orphan section of Public Law 85316. which will expire on June 30. Under the terms of this law. eligible orphans under the age of 14 who have been or will be adopted by American families are admitted into the United States quota free. This program is particularly important for neglected children from the Far East where immigration quotas are small and the child would never be able to enter the United States. even though adopted by an American family. except by private law or through general orphan immigration legislation. It is my earnest hope that legislation to allow the admission of orphan children into the United States will be promptly enacted so that children will not be kept separated from their adoptive parents. Legislation to provide for the quotafree admission of eligible orphans was first passed by Congress in 1948 in the Displaced Persons Act. Some 4.000 orphans were admitted under the terms of the Refugee Relief Act of 1953 which expired December 31. 1956. and in 1957 Congress provided Public Law 85316 containing the orphan section which will expire on June 30. All of these laws provided for the admission of eligible orphans lawfully adopted abroad or orphans admitted to the United States to be adopted.
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immigration Refugee