Evening star., 1925-01-18
SMUGGLED ALIENS
FLOOD LABOR MART
u. S. Figures Reveal Part
Played by Class in
Unemployment.

Bootlegging immigrants, smuggled
across the American border or landed
on the seacoast, are making their i'm
preston on the employment situa-
tion throughout the United States
Advices reaching Washington this
week indicate that they are increas-
ing to undue proportions the num-
ber of idle workers throughout the
country.
How many illegal immigrants get
into the United States cannot he
measured accurately but estimates
run from $4,000 TO 100000 a year. The
latter figure probably is too large. in
the opinion of immigration Commits
sioner Husband, who says that the
border patrol inaugurated July last
has decreased illegal entries until to-
day they are fewer than at any time
within the past few years.
We do know. however" Mr. Hus-
band said, that during the last fiscal
year "a, 600 foreign seamen deserted
their ships on arriving at American
ports. OF that number. 5000 to 5000
probably reshipped. That would
| leave from 26.000 to $4,000 bootleg
immigrants who gained entry by that
channel alone. These Illegal entrants s
are virtually all of the workmen
type. They find their way to our in
dustrial centers and help swell un-
employment. although in many cases
I am informed, fresh immigrants are
given work in preference to less able
bodied natives or naturalized citizens.
Apprehension Dificun
We are picking these fellows up
all the time and deporting them, but
of course, the number which we de-
port is much smaller than the num-
ber coming in. for ii is quite difficult
| to apprehend them. We generally
find them in the large cities Not
long ago, we picked up $50 at one
time in the vicinity of Wilkes Barre,
Pa. A few weeks ago, we picked up
so more in the same general neigh
borhood.
These we took to Philadelphia for
deportation. Just the other day we
picked up seven Arabs in Canton,
Ohio. These men had deserted their
ship at Norfolk. Va. We shall send
them back, of course.
THAT is typical of the way we are
working. Generally. we get two or
three at a time, occasionally more.
Sometimes they are detected and de-
ported when they make application
for citizenship papers, for the law
provides that they must enter legally
in the first place. We search the
records, and when we find that the
applicants have not entered legally,
we send them back.
"All told, we have deported more
than $500 bootleg immigrants since
July l Iast-far more than the avera ge
for full twelve months"
Thus from $4,000 to $4,000 bootleg
immigrants are known to enter the
United States annually as deserters
from foreign ships. When there is
added to that number the army of
thousands also known to have been
landed on American shores in other
ways or bootlegged across the
Canadian and Mexican borders, the
total swells to imposing proportions.
Conservatively, 1t is hardly less than
100000 year, all of whom are of
the workmen type.
One hundred thousand extra work
men a year to provide jobs for in
times of ordinary business activity
or of industrial depression is a factor
of such weight that 1t could easily
depress wages. So delicately bal
anced are wage scales between supply
and demand that an extra 100000
men could upset the balance in many
industries. That number, for in
stance, if applied wholly to the build
ing trades, would create Il surplus
of labor the country over instead of
the shortage that existed almost
everywhere last year.
Labor unions, aware of this mem
ace, have turned active aides to the
immi grafton officials. Hundreds of
cases are reported annually to the
immigration Bureau by the labor
unions of various communities, which
resent the intrusion of these bootleg
immigrants and fear that they will
create a surplus of labor that will
bring down wages.
The attention of the Washington
authorities was drawn to the subject
by recent surveys In some industrial
districts, which showed somewhat
surprising results. The number of
available workers in those districts
was definitely known; so was the cur
rent demand. Notwithstanding the
| fact that demand and supply were
| just about the same, there remained
| a considerable excess of labor and
| consequent unemployment.
There seemed to be but one an
swer-the bootleg immigrant A
| further investigation, which is now
| in progress, has tended to confirm
| this answer, with the result that the
situation in those sections probably
will be corrected. as far as possible.
i by deportation of such persons as
may be found to have entered the
country illegally.
| If such is the situation in a few
districts, officials are wondering
| what it is elsewhere. The present
measure of Unemployment as a whole
seems somewhat too large when the
| present scale of industrial activity
| is taken into consideration. Indus
try is steadily increasing in volume,
and there should be relatively little
| unemployment at this time, accord
| ing to past surveys of labor supply
and demand. Nevertheless there is
considerable unemployment through
out the country today, reports to the
| Labor Department disclose-more, it
| fs believed, than is warranted by our
L ix, d,.- -&r.ia o.. ti,rif