Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-02
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Some of the most desperate criminals
of Europe gain illegal admission to the
United States through tricks OF the
immigration racketeers, Assistant Sec
retary of Labor Carson says.
Once here they are responsible for
much of American crime-perhapS 90
psr cent Of all the crime which con be
traced to persons of foreign birth, he
believes They come for two reasons
first. their own countries are too hot
to hold them, and, second, because the
opportunities for profitable criminal
activity are greater here.
insists, that all who enter the United
States illegally are criminals. Many
are honest, Woodworking men and
women who resort to the tricksters or
the smugglers because they are hungry
in their own lands and are impatient
with the length of time required to get
on the quota or because they are barred
by some physical defect. Once here
except that they are likely to take jobs
away from American citiZenS-they lead
blameless lives and often are more OF
an asset to the country than their more
fortunate countrymen who enter under
the quota. The present investigation
has revealed hundreds of just such
persons.
Crime Record Bars Entry.
But. Carson says. it is obvious that
If an alien criminal comes to the United
States at all, he must come outside the
law. If he has a criminal record, he
cannot get on the quota. The man with
a shady past usually is most anxious to
get away from his old hauntS and hence
will exert the greatest efforts to get to
the new country. Furthermore, 1t re-
uuires a great deal of money-at least
from the point of view of the European
peasant-to get here by trickery or
Smuggling. This usually must be sup
piled by a relative in America, and the
best customer of the immigration rae
keteer is the rich bootlegger or gang
Ster These are eager to secure the
admission of their own kind to aid them
in their work. The alien who had made
a legitimate fortune in the United
States prefers to help relatives in the
old country in other ways.
But even the honest alien illegally
in the United States, Carson says, is
much more likely to go wrong than
his countryman who comes in under
the quota. Once here. he must make
money-and a lot of 1t. Probably the
racketeer has taken from his American
relatives their last cent as the price OF
gagged their home. He is under obliga-
ton to pay them back. Besides. he is
at the mercy of the racketeer, who
threatens to turn him over to the au-
thorities unless he pays regular tribute.
Often more is demanded than he legiti-
mately can earn. He literally is forced
to go wrong to meet his obligations and
to stay in the United States.
Criminal Carefully Protected.
The subject of crime and the illegally
of the most obscure which has been
touched upon by the present investi-
CATION. He is unwilling to bring
blanket indictment, since 1t is so diff
ficult to arrive at the facts. The Grim
inal Is the most carefully protected of
any of his class. The comparatively
honest man is most likely to fall into
the trap. From some countries. he
points out. apparently the only persons
arriving illegally are criminals: Thus
the Frenchman who has come into the
United States by trickery or has been
smuggled across the border in nearly
every instance is a man with bad
record in his own country. There ap-
parently is no great urge for the French
to emigrate. Those who wish to do so
for honorable purposes and with clean
record behind them usually nave no
dificulty in getting on the quota. Once
here they constitute one of the best
European elements in the United States.
The Frenchman who wants to come
to the United States and cannot come
legally within a reasonable period is
naturally man whose past will not
bear close scrutiny by the immigration
officials. He only needs the racketeer.
The same can be said, with reservations,
for the other countries of Northwestern
Europe.
The most prolific sources Of the Grim
inal element among the illegal immi-
grants are Italy, Portugal and Spain.
This. Carson believes, probably is be-
cause the racketeers have specialized
on those countries. Their relatives are
most anxious to get them here and
willing to pay the best prices. Gunner
are imported for the purpose Of follow
ing their trade here.
Big Slave Traffic Indicated.
Much evidence is accommodating, Mr..
Carson says, that an extensive white
slave traffic is carried on by the snug
glerS and racketeers. The details re-
main to be uncovered. But, his in
vestigators report the majority of the
prostitutes in most American cities are
girls who speak little English. obvious
~ were not born in the United States,
and are too young to have arrived be-