Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-05

Are you an immigrant who has ar
rived In the United States since last
Sunday? Show me your identification
card"
"But why must an honest immigrant
produce card to prove his entry? Is
not the fact that l am here sufficient
proof?"
A young man is arrested for speed
ing or for incompetent driving through
congested traffic and causing an acct
dent. The arresting officer demands
the accused grows indignant. He
claims to have been tested by an of
ficer of the Traffic Bureau, and to have
paid the fee. but that he never re-
ceived any card--or he lost his card
and 1t Is an outrage to be required to
show any such card. He's freeborn
American whether he has a permit or
not. How long would such a defense
hold traffic court from sentencing
him? How long, then, will the failure
Of q raw immigrant to prove the legal
lily of his presence in this country, by
showing his card of Identification when
It Is demanded by an official? Every
member OF club or society carried an
Identification card.
A duplicate of the immigrant card is
permanently filed In the bureau.
Yet there are certain Congressman,
especially those whose constituents are
allen citizens, who are now growing
red In the face protesting against the
Outrage" OF requiring registration" by
immigrants. through adopting the new
card system, but there Is no registra-
ton required.
OF course. all the constituents OF the
protesting Congressman who can vote
are full-fiedged citizens, and they came
In without an Identification card. So
the new system does not affect them,
for IL Is not retroactive. But every one
of those naturalized immigrants have
relatives or friends whom 1t does affect.
hence they crowd their Congressman
with protests. But whya
There are millions of men and women
OF alien birth who have resided In the
United States for years, and they have
no Identification cards. But that fact
The Bureau OF immigration and the
ports of entry have to look up and pro-
duce proofs of the legitimacy OF some
500 900 such entries every year. That
la not only expensive, but 1t Is the
cause of interminable disputes and de-
lays.
what immigrant who came here 10
or 30 years ago can recall the exact
date OF his arrival or the name of the
ship on which he crossed the ocean
How many A. e, r. soldiers can name
the ship ON which they crossed. 10
years ago?
contain the photographs OF the inimi-
ef Exfas
| II they did. how near would be the re-
| sembiance now to picture OF the
| Americanizcd man or woman, changed
| by the years In the United States?
Last year, the Bureau Of Immigration
received from the Naturalization Blu
| reau e6. 67B requests for the official fec-
ords OF arrival, and Ellis Island received
| similar requests numbering $4,000 and
other ports OF entry about $4,000 cases
In addition, there were 100000 cases
OF immigrants who had returned Il
| their former homes on visits and de.
sired to come back to their adopted
| homes In America and 50 required
proofs that they had already been adj
| mitted. Before a consul IN Europe OF
| Asia could grant non.quota visa tt
such n was necessary TO write or cable
10 the department nj the expense ol
The applicant, for proof OF the record ol
prior admission,
All that expense and delay win bt
avoided when the immigrant can pro.
duce his official certificate or identifi'
cation card, bearing his photograph ant
his signature across the picture, ant
the oiiiciai signature and stamp OF thu
0fiicer who admitted him, certifying
the name of the ship which brought
him, and has his name on Its passen'
ger list, etcs
1
The immigration restriction law o.
1924 Ia said To be working even more
smoothly and successfully than expectes