A MEXICO CITY DISPATCH TO THE NEW YORK TIMES ON FRIDAY DECLARED THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT HAD TAKEN STEPS TO EXPEL MANY JEWS FROM THE COUNTRY UNDER EXISTING IMMIGRATION LAWS.
ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR HAS INSTRUCTED OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCIES TO COOPERATE IN ENFORCEMENT OF REGULATIONS WHICH MAKE IT OBLIGATORY FOR IMMIGRANTS TO PURSUE OCCUPATIONS SPECIFIED ON THEIR ENTRY PERMITS. A BILL, OFFERED BY DEPUTY ISMAEL FALCON, WHICH EXTENDS THE LAWS REFERRED TO, IS NOW NEARING ENACTMENT BY PARLIAMENT.
THE TIMES CORRESPONDENT SAID THE INSTRUCTIONS “MAKE SEVERAL THOUSAND PERSONS, CHIEFLY POLISH AND SEPHARDIC JEWS IN MEXICO CITY, LIABLE TO IMMEDIATE EXPULSION.” HE CONTINUED:
“MEXICAN LAWS REQUIRE THAT PERSONS COMING TO MEXICO AS IMMIGRANTS WORK AT THE PROFESSION OR IN THE OCCUPATION LISTED ON THEIR IMMIGRATION CARDS. MANY OF THE APPROXIMATELY 18,000 JEWS WHO CAME TO MEXICO IN THE NINETEEN TWENTIES, DURING THE REGIME OF GENERAL PLUTARCO ELIAS CALLES, DECLARED FORMALLY THEY WOULD BECOME AGRICULTURISTS. ARRIVING IN MEXICO THEY FOUND DIFFICULTIES IN OBTAINING LANDS AND ALSO DISCOVERED THAT FARMING CONDITIONS WERE NOT THOSE THEY HAD EXPECTED, SO THEY SETTLED IN MEXICO CITY AND ENTERED BUSINESS.
“THOSE AFFECTED ARE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY OF THE POORER CLASS. THE ISRAELITE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RECENTLY STATED THAT IT HAD AIDED MEXICO BY DEVELOPING LOCAL MEXICAN INDUSTRIES, EMPLOYING ABOUT 30,000 MEXICANS IN THE CAPITAL ALONE.
“MUCH AGITATION AGAINST THEM DEVELOPED RECENTLY BECAUSE OF NAZI PROPAGANDA IN THE PRESS AND BECAUSE MEXICAN SMALL MANUFACTURERS AND MERCHANTS EXPECT TO OBTAIN ENORMOUS PROFITS WHILE THESE COMPETITORS WERE WILLING TO GET MORE REASONABLE RETURNS. THE MEXICAN CHAMBER OF SMALL COMMERCE, THEREFORE, ALSO SPONSORED THE AGITATION.”
THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT’S CIRCULAR DECLARES:
“THE SECRETARY OF FINANCE WILL ORDER HIS INSPECTORS TO MAKE VISITS TO ESTABLISHMENTS WHERE FOREIGNERS WORK AND DEMAND THE EXHIBITION OF IMMIGRATION CARDS IN ORDER TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER THESE FOREIGNERS ARE DEDICATING THEMSELVES TO THE ACTIVITIES MENTIONED IN THESE CARDS. IN CASE THEY ARE NOT DEDICATING THEMSELVES TO SUCH WORK THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT WILL REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT IN ORDER THAT PROPER STEPS MAY BE TAKEN.
“THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL ECONOMY WILL SEE THAT TECHNICAL EXPERTS PERMITTED INTO THE COUNTRY ARE DEDICATING THEMSELVES TO THEIR PROPER WORK AND THAT THEIR PLACES CANNOT YET BE TAKEN BY MEXICAN EXPERTS.
“THE DEPARTMENT OF THE FEDERAL DISTRICT WILL SEE THAT NO LICENSES ARE GIVEN FOR THE OPENING OF BUSINESSES BY FOREIGNERS WHO ARE NOT ENTITLED TO CARRY ON TRADE AND AT THE PETITION OF THE FEDERAL DISTRICT DEPARTMENT LICENSES ALREADY GRANTED TO PERSONS NOT ENTITLED TO CARRY ON COMMERCE OR MANUFACTURING WILL BE CANCELED.
“FURTHERMORE, THE DEPARTMENTS OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND WORK WILL ALSO COOPERATE BY EXAMINING IMMIGRATION CARDS WITH THE SAME OBJECTIVE IN VIEW.”
THE ORDER FURTHER DOES AWAY WITH THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT SECTION “FOR THE AID OF FOREIGNERS” AND ESTABLISHES IN ITS PLACE A “SECTION TO EXAMINE FOREIGNERS’ CREDENTIALS.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
