Speech #880126744

It was enacted at that time in order to provide effective control procedures for the movement of Mexican nationals into the farmlands in the United States. Prior to the enactment of the program covered by the bill now before the Senate. many Mexicans swam across the Rio Grande into the United States to work for whatever wages they could obtain. Immigration authorities found that as many as 500.000 Mexicans had entered the United States without authority. Because there were no control features and because there were so many socalled wetbacks involved it presented a special problem to both the Mexican and United States Governments. Many of us believed that this problem could be handled much better by providing a law. unoer which the United States and Mexico could enter into an agreement whereby the Mexican laborers could be sent into the United States in quantities sufficient to take care of what is more or less stoop labor.