Speech #890136434

The wretched refuse of your teeming shores. Send them. the homeless. tempesttossed to me I lift my lamp beside the golden door. The only justification that can be made for the national origins quota system is the claim that Americans with English or German or Irish names make better citizens than Americans of Italian. Greek. Polish or Hungarian descent. This concept is utterly false. It contradicts all our traditions and ideals. and makes a mockery of the spirit expressed in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal. This bill will make law the fact that each immigrant has a special worth by reason of his potential contribution to our country and he should be judged on his individual ability and worth. Under the proposed bill. people would be admitted on the basis of their skills. education. and training. Another prime governing factor will be the reunification of families now separated by our outmoded immigration laws. It would put an end to painful case histories such as that of the naturalized Greek who is able to bring a maid from Ireland in short order. but who must wait many years to bring his mother or sister from Greece. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt said in Boston in one of the closing speeches of his final campaign in 1944: All of our people all over the countryexcept the pureblooded Indiansare immigrants or descendants of immigrants. including even those who came over here on the Mayflower. It was through the open door of its immigration policy that the vast empty space of the United States was peopled during the 19th century. That door was narrowed to a slot when Congress imposed national quotas under the Quota Act of 1921. which stacked the cards in favor of the people of Northern and Western Europe. and to the prejudice of nationals of other areas of the world. The Celler immigration bill will right the wrong that stains our national conscience and blurs our image as the greatest and best democracy in the entire world. It does not ask of a prospective immigrant. "What country are you from?". but rather. "What can you do for the United States of America?" This legislative proposal recognizes that each immigrant has a special worth because of his potential contribution to the total manpower of our country. It will eliminate all quotas based on national origin. The total amount of immigrants admitted each year will not be greatly increased. Mr. President. the enactment of this bill will at long last commit us to a national policy which will make real the simple truth of the words of St.