Speech #890188951

Speaker. under leave to extend my remarks I include two speeches delivered by James J. Hines. General Counsel of the Visa Office of the Department of State. One of these speeches was given before the American Immigration and Citizenship Conference at New York. N.Y.. on December 7. 1965. The other was delivered before the regional conference sponsored by the Michigan Committee on Irnmigration and the United Community Services of Metropolitan Detroit on February 28. 1966. Mr. Hines is a recognized expert in his field and I commend his analysis of. and comments on. the new Immigration Act to all my colleagues: THE IMMIGRATION AcT or 1965 (By James J. Hines. General Counsel of the Visa Office) I I am very grateful for the opportunity to be with you this morning and to discuss the role of the Visa Office and the U.S. Consular Service in the implementation of the Immigration Act of October 3. 1965. Long before the dramatic signing of H.R. 2580 at the Statue of Liberty on that beautiful Sunday afternoon in October. the Visa Office was in constant communication with our 200 immigrant visa issuing posts abroad. keeping them abreast of developments in the Congress. The consuls in the field were well aware of the contents of H.R. 2580 by the time the President affixed his signature on October 3. The duty of the Visa Office to instruct and advise the consular service on the technical aspects of the new law is a continuing process. and it will carry on for many months to come. The Department in my opinion has responded to the challenge of 1 Address made before the American Immigration and Citizenship Conference at New York. N.Y.. on Dec. 7. For remarks made by President Johnson on signing the bill. see Bulletin of Oct. 25. 1965. p. 660.