Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-28
VAST ORGANIZATION
BACK OF IMMIGRATION
RACKET, PROBER FINDS
Continued From First Page.)

They conspired to violate the laws of
the United States, but even where this
conspiracy was entered into with full
realization, Carson believes, it has not
merited the price the victims have been
forced to pay.
When alien restriction legislation first
became effective, Carson points out,
the situation was very confusing, strict
application of the letter of the law
caused many hardships and apparent
injustices, and there were numerous sob
stories of husbands separated from their
wives, mothers from their children, and
aged parents left to starve in the
European countries. Some of the diff
Guilty was administrative and some due
to the law itself.
These matters have mostly been adj
justed. The personnel of the 1mmigra-
ton Bureau has become experienced
and the law has been amended. The
Secretary of Labor has large discre-
tionary powers. But in the days OF
confusion various organizations sprang
up, ostensibly to protect the rights of
the immigrants. Some of these, at
least, were legitimate organizations with
high ideals. Some were crooked from
the start, or soon fell into the hands
of crooks. So today there are various
Immigrants aid societies, immigration
news bureaus, and immigration informa-
ton Offices" which are pure racketS, the
investigation has revealed. Masquerad-
ing with the mask Of sanctimony they
are, Carson says, somewhat lower
than Al Capone's gangsters at their
worst
When william N. Doak became Secre-
tary of Labor he found a puzzling stu
rde ay11ic
were no longer so many complaints
about the injustices of immigration Of
ficers. but protests were received from
aliens held for deportation that they
had paid substantial sums to Govern
ment agencies for admission and sup
posed that they were here legit1mately.
1t looked like a case of wholesale graft.
Doak resolved to bring the dishonest
Government employees to justice. but at
the same time 1t seemed incredible that
there should be so many of them as the
persistent reports indicated.
At this point Carson was appointed
Assistant Secretary of Labor and in
structed to go to the bottom of the stu
alton. Within a few days he reported
back to Secretary Doak that the situa-
ton was far worse than had been sus-
pected, but that dishonesty in the Gov
eminent service was only a minor fac
tor, at the worst. The prospective emf
grant in a Southern European city. pos
sibly after failing to get on the quota,
would be directed to some such organi-
zation as American immigration In
formation Service" In many cases he
would go to this office believing that 1t
was an organization associated with the
American Government, and nobody
there took the trouble to set him right.
Here he would be told that the matter
could be arranged for a stable pay
ment. If the prospective immigrant
happened TO be simple enough-prob-
ably not often the case-he might ac-
tually be smuggled into the United
States without realizing that he ever
had dealt with any one except legitimate
agents of the United States. But once
across the threshold of such an Office
the alien-honest or dishonest as he
might be-was in the clutches Of the
spider with very little prospect of ever
getting free. Even if the man was fully
aware that he was conspiring to enter
the United States illegally. his condition
| in the grip of the racket" often became
so pitiful that he was punished many
times over for his crime.
Once in the United States he would
be told by American agents of the or
| ganization that unless he paid hand
SOmely ne WOulQ De turned over 10 Cfle
authorities for deportation. Often the
unfortunate could not pay. and the
racketeers promptly carried out their
threat. The stories of some of these
| pitiable victims came to the ears of Sec
| rotary Doak and led to the first. largely
unfounded. suspicion of crookedness
4 within the Government service. Whether
! the racketeers actually represented
themselves as Government agents is un-
known. but they did nothing to prevent
their customers from drawing erroneous
although natural. conclusions.
| Carson entered upon the investiga-
ton with the conviction that the alier
himself was small fry" that very few
entered this country illegally on thei:
own resources. and that the master
minds must be tracked down before the
| truth could be learned. The trail lee
Immediately to these sanctimcnious or
CARNATIONS. 1t was big "racket"-hoW