Congress Passes Jenkins Bill; Brings Some Relief to Separated Families

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

The Jenkins bill, the only piece of legislation concerning immigration matters, from which many separated families expected relief was saved from the throes of the Senate filbuster, when the Senate adopted the bill which had previously been passed by the House.

The action of the Senate, taken late Monday night, followed a hurried meeting between the conferees of the House and Senate. The conferees meeting was necessary due to several amendments made in the bill. The bill has now gone to President Coolidge for signature.

The law as adopted provides for the exemption from the quota of the children under 21 and the husbands of American citizens by marriages occurring prior to June 1, 1928. Women who were American citizens, having lost their citizenship because of marriage to an alien prior to September 22, 1922, but who, at the time of application for an immigration visa are unmarried, are also exempt from the quota. If the woman is still married to an alien she cannot be re-admitted as a non-quota immigrant.

The chief provision of the Jenkins bill is in the main retained, setting aside fifty percent of the quota for preference, within the quota, to the wives and unmarried children under twenty-one of previously permanently admitted aliens and giving preference within the quota, in the remaining fifty percent, to the parents or husbands, by marriages occuring after May 31, 1928, of American citizens over 21. The last mentioned preference, within the second fifty percent, is to be shared with skilled agriculturists and their wives and dependent children.