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1955 HON. KARL M. Lecompte HON. VICTOR L. ANFUSO

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1955 HON. KARL M. Lecompte HON. VICTOR L. ANFUSO 1955 CONGRESSIONAL _RECORD- HOUSE 261' EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS. Statement. of Counterpart Funds Charged Public Law 665, 83d Congress, pro­ Unfortunately, our immigration laws vides that any ·committee of the House in recent ·years have been rather harsh, to Committees of the House of Repre· of Representatives which uses counter­ discriminatory, .and often inhumane. sentatives part funds shall make a full report The McCarran-Walter Act was intended thereof to the Committee on House Ad­ to be a codification of all previous immi­ ministration, showing the total amount gration and naturalization laws, but ac­ EXTENSION OF REMARKS of such currency so used in each country tually turned out to be a codification of OF and the purposes for which it was ex­ all the discriminations and the preju­ pended. dices against immigrants thought up HON. KARL M. LeCOMPTE during the past few decades. I am re­ OF IOWA ferring particularly to the quota system, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Revision of the McCarran Immigration . the method of selecting immigrants who Tuesday, January 11, 1955 Law seek entry to this country, which dates back to the early 1920's when it was first Mr. LECOMPTE. Mr. Speaker, on EXTENSION OF REMARKS enacted in an atmosphere of isolationism 2~. January 1954, I inserted in the CoN­ OF and hatred of all foreigners. GRESSIONAL RECORD a statement With ref­ Under the quota system a total of erence to the history and use of counter­ HON. VICTOR L. ANFUSO 154,000 immigrants may be admitted an­ part funds by Members of the House of OF NEW YORK nually to the United States. The orig­ Representatives who had traveled abroad IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES inal law enacted in 1921 set up the quotas on official committee business. I also Tuesday, January 11, 1955 on the basis of the 1910 census. It also inserted in the RECORD at that time a contained the obnoxious implication that preliminary report received from the Mr. ANFUSO. Mr. Speaker, I am in­ the· people of southern and eastern Secretary of State listing the names of troducing today an immigration and Europe are inferior to those of northern the countries in which counterpart naturalization bill to revise our present and western Europe. In 1924, the law funds were available, together with a immigration laws. The title of my bill was amended and made even more dis­ series of tables showing the amount of is "Immigration and Citizenship Act of criminating against those of southern counterpart funds expended by mem­ 1955," and it is intended to replace the and eastern European origin. Quotas bers of committees of the House of Rep­ McCarran-Walter Immigration Act. were reduced from 3 to 2 percent, and resentatives for the fiscal year 1954 in­ Let me state at the very outset that the the census basis was moved back from sofar as information was available at chief objection to the McCarran-Walter 1910 to 1890, the reason being that im­ that time. Act is that it is based on the national­ migration from southern and eastern On January 3, 1955, as chairman of the supremacy doctrine which maintains Europe had hardly begun by 1890. Nat­ Committee on House Administration, I that the people of some nations were urally, the quotas for those countries received from Assistant Secretary of superior to others. According to the were drastically reduced. Thus, Italy's State Thruston B. Morton a statement McCarran-Walter Act, this idea is re­ quota was cut from 42,000 under the 1921 based on reports to the Department of flected in our present immigration pol­ law to less than 6,000 under the 1924 State by United States disbursing officers icy. Needless to say, it is a fallacious amendments; Poland's quota was re­ abroad giving the total net amounts of theory because there is no such thing as duced from 31,000 to 6,500, and the same counte;part funds drawn by committees a superior race or a superior people. A was true for other countries. of the House of Representatives from law reflecting such outmoded ideas has Mr. Speaker, when a codification of July 1, 1953, through June 30, 1954,. ex­ no place on our statute books and should our immigration laws was undertaken pressed in United States dollar eqUiva­ be removed as soon as possible. We need several years ago, million of our citizens lents. While it is believed that most an immigration law that will conform of the obligations incurred by commit­ had hoped that the biased and intolerant with American concepts of justice, fair laws would be eliminated and a new tees which traveled during the fiscal play, and basic traditions. year 1954 were liquidated during fiscal approach toward the selection of immi.. Mr. Speaker, I represent a cosmopoli­ grants would be established, but those year 1954, and are reflected i~ ~his state­ tan district in the city of New York. The who drew up the McCarran-Walter bill ment, it is possible that add1t10nal pay­ people of our great city are for the most ments have been or will be made on be­ included the worst and most obnoxious part of immigrant stock. They are features which had accumulated on our half of these groups during the cur­ either immigrants themselves or children rent fiscal year 1955, and have not as statute books over the past 30 years. and grandchildren of immigrants. Their The restrictive quota system was re­ yet been reported to the State Depart­ roots are solidly planted in this country. ment. Any such payments will be in­ tained, large quotas were again assigned They are intensely loyal and patriotic to countries unable to use them up, and cluded in the fiscal year 1955 reports citizens of the United States. It is be­ and designated as payments against the unused portions of the quotas were cause they have kriown the adversities wasted instead of permitting low-quota 1954 travel. The statement furnished of life abroad at firsthand that they by the Department of State follows: countries to use them. can best appreciate the American way So much for the quota system. Now, Stat ement of counterpart fund charges to of life. let us examine briefly another set of commi ttees of the House of Repr esenta­ They and many millions of others t i ves, July 1, 1953, through June 30, 1954 regulations in the McCarran-Walter Act throughout our country are intensely in­ which constitute an insult to all Ameri­ {Expressed in United States dollar equivalent terested in the problem of immigration values} cans who believe in the concept of equal­ and are anxious for the United States to ity. I mean the provisions which deal Total net charges: foliow a liberal policy in the matter. I House Appropriations Com- with naturalized citizens. · Under the mittee __ ___________________ $48,914.29 recall that during my service in the 82d McCarran-Walter Act it is easier to de­ House Armed Services Com- Congress I had been approached by mittee ___ __________________ 14,713.28 numerous people to help them in their prive such people of their citizenship and deport them from the United States. In House Committee on Foreign immigration matters. Some of these Affairs ______________ ------- 19, 965. 34 were very tragic cases: Parents who the past it was necessary to provide proof House Committee on Inter- wanted to be united with their children, of fraud at the time of naturalization, state and Foreign Commerce. 20,265.70 broken families because the husband or but now it merely needs to be shown that House Committee on Interior a person failed to mention some minor and Insular Affairs_________ 1, 020. 18 the wife could not come here; deporta­ House Committee on the Judi- tion of the husband which left an entire incident in his past and he stands to lose ciary _______________________ 52,587.61 family without support, and similar his citizenship. It is a threat which other cases. I did my utmost to help hangs over his head for the rest of his Grand total of net charges. 157, 46(). 40 these people in every possible way. life. This, in effect, sets up two classes 262 CONGRESSIONAl. RECORD-· -HOUSE January 1.1. of citizenship, since no naturalized citi· this country as an immigrant, because Mr. Speaker, I maintain that the Mc­ zen can ever feel secure of his citizenship of national origin, religion, race, or color. Carran Act is not a true reflection of the status any more; it is something which Third. The number of annual quota thinking and the spirit in this country, we have never before had since this visas is to be established on the basis of or that it represents American opinion Republic has been founded. · <One-sixth of 1 percent of the United concerning the inuilignint. The Me~ · There are many other injustices in ·states population according to the 1940 Carran Ac·t is not the proper law for a that act, perhaps too numerous to men· .census, the last prewar decennial cen­ nation which has been settled and de-­ tion. Suffice it to mention the findings sus. On this basis a total of 220,000 im.. veloped by immigrants throughout its of a Presidential commission, named by migrants may be admitted annually, history, and which has been built to its President Truman in 1952 to study the which is about 75,000 more than under present greatness and world leadership act. In January 1953 this commission the present quota system. Furthermore, with the help of immigrants. .reported its findings of the McCarran­ the allocation of quotas for all countries For the sake of America's greatness, Walter Act as follows: would be more equitable because the its international prestige, -and its posi­ · First.
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