Speech #870041537

Mr. President. I believe the Immigration Service is to be commended for the way it has administered this program. Commissioner Swing has advised me that. since September 9. 1959. 4.018 petitions have been filed with his Service. and 3.093 petitions have been approved as of February 28. 1961. The average length of time required for the approval of a petition. is from 60 to 90 days. depending on the facts in the case. The Department of Justice. and its Immigration Service. has district and field offices which are well qualified to administer this program with its own personnel. It is also worth noting that the Immigration Service submits to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees reports in connection with all private immigration bills. Mr. President. I am indeed pleased to note that the distinguished chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee of the House of Representatives. Hon. FRANCIS E. WALTER. has introduced H.R. 6300. which makes a number of important and desirable changes in the Immigration and Naturalization Act that he coauthored. and also provides for a permanent orphan immigration program as a basic part of the Immigration and Nationality Act. According to a table prepared by the Immigration and Naturalization Service as of December 31. 1960. 2.765 orphan immigration petitions have been approved since September 9. 1959. Of these approved petitions. 924 resulted from proxy adoptions abroad. 923 for children to be adopted following their admission to the United States. and 918 for children personally adopted abroad. It is not known. in this latter category. whether both the U.S. citizen and spouse were in the country where the adoption took place. Mr. President. of the orphan immigration petitions approved. 1.434 have been for children from Asia. More than onehalf of this number were proxy adoptions abroad. and of the 815 adopted from Korea. 650 were admitted as a result of proxy adoptions abroad. Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent to have printed at this point in my remarks. a table prepared by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. containing figures on the operation of the Orphan Immigration Act since September 9. 1959. through December 31. 1960.