Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-09
BY REX COLLIER.

- AIRING the scrutiny of keen
eyed immigration inspectors b.
means of camou1age, or elud
ing their far-flung nets alto
gether by means of carefully
conceived undercover expeditions II
remote. unguarded stretches, untoie
thousands of aliens are being oooC-
legged" across the Canadian ooroer an
nually. -. :.
air land and water, these unwelcome
visitors from foreign lands are being
unprecedented by immigration authorities
at the rate of 1000 month according
to Harry E. Hull, United States Com
missioner General of immigration.
But there are thousands more VINO
escape detection. remaining here 10
breach un-American doctrines. spread
disease or disturb employment condl-
tons. n
How do they get into this country?
This question. put to Commissioner
Hull upon his return from tour OF
inspection of border activities, prompted
the Querulous reply:
Force Is Small.
How are We going to keep them out
when We have only limited force OF
inspectors and patrolmen to cover i've
or six thousand miles of territory"
That is a question which has Com
missioner Hull at his wits end. 1t Is
a problem he had put before Congress
for several successive years, but which
so far has not produced the desired
results in the way of remedial leglSla-
ton.
It is a problem which is susceptible
of solution with congressional help,
Ill
1t is. to use the commissioners phrase
ology. humanity impossible to stem the
tide of aliens with the present made
uuate force" greatly enlarged inSpec-
ton and patrol personnel could raise
en- almost impenetrable barrier against
these undeslrables
Commissioner Hull is informed that
100000 persons cross the Canadian
border each Gay of the year. The mag
nitude of the task imposed on American
inspection officials is readily apparent
The influx vastly increases with the
tide of seasonal touring. To handle
this influx Uncle Sam has 500 inspectors
and 1000 atrolmen-Scattered over a
boundary line nearly 5000 miles long.
Some Use Planes.
Across this boundary come countless
highways and many railroads. Only
10 per cent Of all the roads leading
across the border have inspectors on
them. There are toe many roads, too
many bodies Of water, too many wooded
wildernesses and mountains for the
existing patrol forces to handle. Of
late even the skies have become path
way into the United States for alien
snaugglers, and America has no planes
available for the use of immigration
officers
Bootlegging of aliens has grown with
such astounding leaps that it now COM
pares favorabiy with bootlegging of
liquor as source of illegal profits along
the border. In fact. Mr.. Hull declares.
the two professions" now go hand in
hand. Aliens and liquor often are
smuggled over the line in one consign-
ment. When the rum-running business
gets low" the international bootleggers
are perfectly willing to turn their hand
to alien running.
Smuggling liquor is safer than deal
ing IN aliens. however. The liquor sent
into this country surreptitiously quickly
disappears, but aliens cannot lose their
dress, their broken speech, their actions,
their whole appearance set them apart
from ordinary American citizens. Be-
fore long the immigration authorities
get word of the strangers, Investigations
are made and deportation proceedings
instituted
Slipping by the immigration blockade
along the United States-C Canada border
is a comparatively simple undertaking
for those willing to run the risk of de-
lection The favorite method is to fit
the alien out in typical American cloth
ing, put him into car in the midst of
a group of bona fide citizens, and bold
ly submit to inspection by the American
officers. Usually quick ocular examl-
nation of the occupants and a few
J. words of inquiry directed at the group
generally is sufficient to satisfy the
busy inspector that everything is all
right He waves a CHEEKY ok" ard
the car with its illegal occupant is on
its way. Of course, if the inspector is
suspicious and insists on asking lot
Of embarrassing questions of each occu-
pant. the situation proves very en-
. barrassing for the alien in his nice
Broadway hat and suit-unable to I'M
derstand the English language, or. a.
! most to reply in good American dia-
lect.