Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-12

facilities which they should have for
the protection Of the public interests.
For instance, informs ton may come
TO the immigration Bureau that John
B, who came to this country from
England as a sailor on the Mauritania
and failed TO return when he should
have done so a couple of years ago, can
be found at boarding house in Green
| Bay, Wis. Late Saturday afternoon an
immigration offlcer arrives at the board
ing house TO question John, the ex-
sailor. John isn't there, but the land
lady says he will return at that eve
ming. Meantime, the immigration ofIi-
Ger tries TO get a Geographic warrant
Of arrest from the only two men in the
United States who are authorized I'M
der the law TO issue such warrants and
who are stationed at the headquarters
Of the immigration Bureau in Wash
ington.
The bureau Is closed and the war
rant can't be received by the agent
until Monday. John. returning TO his
boarding house. learns that a strange
man with an official look" has been
inquiring for him, becomes suspicious
and hastily leaves for parts unknown
And he Is still at large somewhere in
these United States. holding jobs of
various kinds and keeping American
citizens out of them. This, of course,
Is not merely q solitary instance; 1t is
typical Of many cases indicating the
need for greater authority to arrest
aliens unlawfully in this country.
On the other hand, there is need also
for greater discretion 10 be lodged BY
law In the Secretary Of Labor, so that
he may relieve the hardships sometimes
imposed by the strict letter of the law.
For example, there is a soldier now
serving in our Marine Corps in China
who has done duty seven years under
the Stars and Stripes In all parts of
the world, Drawing danger and suffering
hardship. His present term of enlist
ment is about to expire. He wants to
go to Germany TO visit his aged parents.
who have returned there after living
some years in America; and then he
desires to return to the United States,
TO re-enltSt In the Marine Corps and
join his company, which has been
ordered home.
Right to Return Questioned.
There is a question, however, whether
he Is an American citizen, entitled to
re-entry to this country, because of his
parents status-and there must be an
application, hearing and determination,
with perhaps q denial of the visit to
Germany to see the old folks.
If the Secretary of Labor had greater
powers he could end the uncertainty
and save the time Of all concerned by
stroke of the pen authorizing re-entry
without examination or formality.
There are cases, too, where relatives
in foreign lands are being supported by
dollars earned in America by aliens
legally admitted, but who cannot legally
bring In a helpless mother or father or
paralyzed brother or sister. Those
people, II admitted, would not add to
our employment or economic problems;
rather, they would keep American re-
sources at home. In cases of this kind
a wider discretion given to the Secre-
tary OF Labor would serve the public
interests.
have in mind, too, Mary R, an
Amertcan-born woman married to an
EngliShman, TO whom she bore q
daughter. She was deserted abroad by
her husband, who went to the Orient
with another woman. 1t was with the
greatest difficulty, because of the legal
| obstacles, that the deserted wife finally
gained re-entry to the United States,
where her own family lived. And even
then she had to carry on an additional
legal struggle TO secure permanent entry
for her child.
Wider Latitude Needed.
We need a wider latitude, too, for
deporta ton. / have on my desk a let
ter from an American mother urging
the deportation Of an alien man now in
prison for q crime of degeneracy. The
alien has been In this country more
than 10 years and the crime mentioned
is the only offense of which he has
been convicted, although other charges
! Of a similar nature have been made
against him. We cannot deport him,
therefore. under present law. In fact,
1t was only recently that Congress
authorized the deportation of aliens
who were engaged here in the narcotic
business, as peddlers and smugglers of
| dope"
| We particularly need more men TO
patrol our far-f1ung border lines. Those
we have are working night and day,