Speech #880051191

In this respect. this occasion for us to get together on this informal basis is not only a delightful social event. but fulfills a useful purpose in allowing us an opportunity for a mutual exchange of views. I hope that I may be permitted this liberty of expressing to our esteemed Members of Congress some of the problems. desires. aims and aspirations of our people. First. the Chinese people have long suffered under archaic and discriminatory immigration laws based on race. Thus. under our existing immigration statutes. all Chinese persons of onehalf Chinese blood or more. regardless of their country of citizenship or country of birth. must immigrate to the United States under a pitifully meager and oversubscribed immigration quota of 105 persons per year. These rigid restrictions have caused grievous hardship to members of our community and have separated them from their wives. parents and children. Congress has been aware of the inequitable provisions of these Immigration laws and there are at present. at least three bills which. in one way or another. would tend to eliminate or ameliorate them. There have been introduced in Congress the Hart bill. the Pell bill. and the Celler bill. Of these bills. we would prefer the Hart bill because of its simplicity. and because it