Evening star., 1936-04-26
DEPORTATION BILLS PIT
liberal" VS.. PATRIOT''
Demand for Adherence to Illegal Entry
Penalty Clashes With Cry of
Inhumane Injustice.

are engaged in the smuggling of aliens
into this country, but the Kerr.
Coolidge bill provides that the smug-
Cling must have been done "for gain"
In addition to the radical classes
specified as deportable under existing
laws, the Starnes- Reynolds bill adds
to the list persons engaged in es.
pionage for foreign government"
In all these proposed new classes
of deportation cases the Kerr-Cool-
idge bill would vest final judgment IN
the interdepartmental committee as
to whether the deportation would be
in the public interest" Critics of
the bill contend there should be no
discretion whatever in such cases
that the creation of board with dis
cretionary powers opens the doors to
political pressure and other evils.
The board proposed by the Kerr
Coolidge bill would have the task Of
studying the 1880 stayed cases and
deciding whether these aliens should
be deported or allowed to remain.
The Starnes- Reynolds bill also pro-
poses an interdepartmental board. but
its functions would be far different.
1t would be known as the alien regis
tration board and would be composed
Of representatives Of the Labor, Jus.
tice, State and Post Office DEPART
ments. This board would have charge
of the registration and fingerprinting
Of all aliens. The f1ngerprints would
be filed with the Federal Bureau Of
Investigation of the Department Of
Justice
Oppose Registration.
Dickstein and other critics of the
Starnes-Reynolds bill are opposing the
registration and fingerprinting plan
violently. They argue it would cre-
ate an allen bloc" setting all aliens
apart from their neighbors and at.
taching to them an unjustified stigma.
The Kerr-Coolidge bill would per-
NIT many aliens who entered the
country irregularly to remain here and
become citizens, at the discretion Of
the interdepartmental board. Oppo-
nents of the bill insist that every alien
who is here illegally should be de-
ported.
A drastic provision Of the Starnes-
Reynolds bill gives the President DOW
er to order the deportation in an
emergency of all aliens on public or
private relief and to deport at any
time any alien or group of aliens
whose presence in this country he
deems to be inimical to the public
interest.
Another provision would reduce BY
go per cent the quotas now allotted
the various nationalties under the
immigration act of 1924.
Intelligence Test Planned.
Married applicants for immigration
visas would receive favorable con-
sideration only if all their dependents
also apply for visas and are found
qualified. To qualify for such visa
the applicant must pass an intelli-
gence test equivalent to or higher
than normal rating of an average
sampling Of native-born American
white stock" and must show to an
American consul that his character
is such that he would be readily
assimilable among the preponderant
element of the population Of the
United States"
Thus, the Kerr Coolidge bill would
give a board discretion to avert the
breaking up of families through de-
portation. while the Starnes-Reynolds
bill would prevent the separation Of
| families abroad through immigration
to the United States of members Of
alien families.
Senator Reynolds was given an ova-
/ ton by the D. A. r. when he ex-
! planned his bill to the convention here
last week. He is determined to battle
/ to the last for defeat of the Kerr
Coolidge bill and passage of his own.
Chairman Dickstein, on the other
hand, is just as determined that the
Kerr Coolidge bill shall win out. and
/ he has the backing in his fight of
the Labor and State Departments.