The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1909-03-05
AFFLICTED ALIENS
ARE DEBARRED
RECENT RULING BY SECRETARY
COMMERCE AND LABOR.
Afflicted Children Cannot Enter from
Contiguous Country, Tho Father
Become Citizen-Those Coming
BY the Ocean Admitted.

An interesting and somewhat I'M
usual case which has claimed the at
tention of the immigration authori-
ties at the port of Brownsville, has
Just been decided upon by Secretary
Strauss of the department of Com
merce and Labor This decision APP
piled to the petition of Clemente
Marroquin. recently filed with the
secretary of commerce and labor,
seeking the privilege of bring
ing his three children, Amelia, aged
II. Antonio, aged 8, and limo
teo, aged 6, who on the 18th of
January last were debarred by the
local immigration authorities on ac-
count of being afflicted with ira
choma, to this country for treatment
in hospital, which has been denied
by the department.
On the Is of January, Marroquin
with his children, applied at the local
| immigration station for admittance.
He was admitted, but the children
1 were debarred for the reason above
stated.
After being admitted Marroquin de-
clared his intention of taking out nat
uralization papers and has already
made application for the same.
In accordance with Section 80 of
the immigration laws, an alien who
has been admitted into this country
| and who has declared his intention
of becoming citizen, has the privil-
ege of bringing any of his family
| rh0 hnx dol
of being afflicted with disease of
any kind to this country for the pur-
pose of having them treated. An at
torney was employed by Marroquin
and after receiving the endorsement
of some of the most prominent citi-
zens of Brownsville. petition was
sent to Secretary of Commerce and
Labor Strauss, asking that the chill
dren be admitted, to be held in de-
tention and undergo treatment in a
hospital.
In letter received by the inspec-
4 tor in charge of the Brownsville dis
trict. H. g. Dubose, from Secretary
Strauss, on the second inst. however,
the latter stated that Section 81 of
the immigration laws was intended
to apply only to aliens who entered
this country via ocean and not to
those coming from contiguous coun-
tries. He also stated that, as the
children above mentioned have been
undergoing treatment in Matamoros
for the past two and half months
and have not been cured, and in view
of the fact that the disease has been
pronounced by the examining ply
stefan as very difficult to cure. and,
by reason of the fact that by admit
] ting the aforesaid children the dis
ease might be conveyed to others.
and, as the department of commerce
and labor does not care to establish a
precedent on the border of admitting
cases of this character. the petition
was turned down
Many Immigrants Seek Admission.
During the month of February.
there applied at the Brownsville
immigration station -153 immigrant
aliens, 1873 of whom were admitted
and Is debarred. Of the 1873 ad-
mitted, SO were males and Al fe-
males. Of those debarred. II We're
males and 4 were females. The
causes for debarment were as fol-
lows: Accompanying aliens. 8 !; ira
choma, 8; account contract labor. 4
On Monday of this week more immi-
grants were admitted through the
local station than on any other day
4 since it has been established, there
being 10 admitted on this day Two
were debarred the same day. on ae-
count of coming in violation of the
contract labor law