Evening star., 1934-04-24
Report Urges Changes
In immigration Law

To the Editor Of The Star:
In recent issue Of The Evening
Star was letter signed by q. w.
Butt. which you very accurately cap
toned. Change Not Wanted in (our)
immigration Policy" mentioning the
report Of q special committee of 4s
New Yorkers appointed last June by
the Secretary Of Labor.
The 47-printed-page report Of this
Perkins Committee has not been made
public and has been distributed to
only q chosen few and "confidentially."
Therefore, assume neither you nor
Mr.. Butt has seen it and can speak
from the actual report. While it Is
true that the report does start of
with a generality about the repeal of
our immigration restriction laws be-
ing out of the question, or "unthink-
able" as the first release" to the
press put it. the report makes about
80 specific recommendations that
would certainly shoot present immi-
grafton restriction and alien deporta-
ton legislation full Of holes.
Among the specific changes recon-
mended are such devastating ones as
that near relatives and religious and
political refugees should be admitted; |;
and that an alien criminal, If he came
here In his youth, and even anarchists
and communists should not be de-
ported! OF course, such would be
kind, humane and sentimental to
aliens, but inhumane, unkind and
anything but sentimental to Ameri-
cans and even lawabiding and up
standing aliens in our midst.
Just why our laws should be
charged with separating alien families
when a husband or son deserts his
family in Europe and comes here I
have never appreciated, and it seems
that perhaps the best way to pre-
vent such hardships of separated FAM
lilies would be not to admit any father,
husband or wife who ran away from
his family. The existing law could
be easily changed so as to treat the
family as unit and thus not admit
husband or wife or son If any
member Of the family is mentally
defective or socially inadequate and
excluded by our immigration laws.
Not only are such destructive
legislative changes recommended by
the Department Of Labor, but its ad-
ministration of the law has been
greatly relaxed. Commissioner of I'm
migration MacCormack admitted be-
fore the subcommittee of the House
Appropriations Committee that there
had been a Al per cent decrease in
alien deportations during the first
four months Of the present fiscal year,
and was told that the public and
Congress wanted vigorous enforce
ment. I understand that there has
been a SO per cent increase in quota
immigration already this fiscal year,
in spite Of the millions Of unemployed
and the millions Of dependents in the
country.
Last April President Roosevelt ap-
pointed a special committee, whose
personnel was widely distributed, to
examine into immigration" and TO
recommend legislation. Prof. Martin
Of the University Of Washington. a
member, stated in an address before
the World Affairs Assembly at Pas
adena last December that his commit
tee had reported and that it had rec
commended not only strict mainte-
nance of existing quota European re-
strictions, but their application to
countries of this hemisphere, and that
in order to get more effective and
efficient law enforcement and to stop
the enormous smuggling and boot
Logging of aliens into the United
States there be universal registration
of citizens and aliens here Although
there has been already two press re-
leases on the Perkins Special Com
mittee, and I understand three more
are TO come, not word seems to have
been released about this report Prof.
Martin says was transmitted to the
Department of Labor last year
j. D. MASON.