The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1955-05-20
By ABNER GREEN, Exec. Secy.
American Committee for Protection
of Foreign Born

A decided setback to the plans
of those in the Justice Department
seeking mass deportation drive
under the Walter-Mc Carran Law has
been scored as result of the At
torney Generals decision. that mem
bership in the former international
Workers Order is not an automatic
ground for deportation.
This important victory was scored
in the case of Dr. Krishna Chandra,
of Sacramento, Calf. DR.. Chandra,
who was born in India in 1905, has
lived in the United States since he
was five years old. He is married to
a United States citizen and is the
father of three American-born daugh-
terS.
On January 9, 1850, DR.. Chandra
was arrested in deportation proceed
ings on the charge of membership IN
the International Workers Order. His
defense against deportation was
undertaken by the American Commit
tee for Protection of Foreign Born.
Deportation hearings were held in
San Francisco in 1851. In 1862, the
hearing officer recommended DR..
Chandra's deportation and this rec
ommendation was appealed to the
Board of immigration Appeals in
Washington, d. C. On August 10, 1853,
the Board of immigration Appeals,
by to vote, held that DR.. Chan
dra could not be deported on the
charge of TWO membership.
The immigration and Naturali-
cation Service asked the Board to
reconsider the Chandra decision
and, in September 1858, the case
was reargued. On December is,
1858, the Board of immigration APP
peals, again by a 3 to vote, re-
affirmed its earlier decision and
sent the record to the Attorney
General for review. On March IA, |
1855, the Attorney General af-
firmed the 3 to decision of the
Board of immigration Appeals and
the Chandra deportation proceed
ings were ordered cancelled.
Dr. Chandra no longer faces de-
oortation, after difficult five-year
period. But, the victory in the Chan
Ira case goes far beyond the indi-
Jidual and is important news to
many thousands of non-citizens in
addition to DR.. Chandra.
The Board of immigration Appeals,
n its decision in the Chandra case,
leld that the international Workers
Order was affiliated with the Com
nunist party but that DR.. Chandra
ould not be deported since he was
unaware of the affiliation." This
Iecision is therefore a decided set
ack to the Jistice Departments eff
orts to extend the undemocratic
principles of guilt by association, try
ng to make membership in pro-
cribed organization in itself grounds
or deportation.
If the guilt-by- association prin- t
ciple had been upheld in the Cham Z
dra case, undoubtedly thousands !
of non-citizens may have been ar
rested and held for deportation be- +
cause of their membership in the I
former International Workers Ord 2
err. The Attorney General, in March o
1853, spoke of deporting $4,000 ]
on political grounds
and undoubtedly many would have
been members of the former WO.
Why did the Justice Department,
hich started the proceedings against
r. Chandra, reverse itself in this
test decision? E
The Attorney General was forced
reverse himself because of the :,
lblic sentiment that exists against
e hated Walter-M Carran Law, the T
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IECAI AnxYEnEIcIKIr y