A warning against acceptance of a few minor repairs in the McCarran-Walter Immigration Act instead of a major overhaul was issued this week-end by Philip B. Perlman, chairman of the President’s Commission on Immigration and Naturalization, in an address here before a national conference on civil liberties. Major Jewish organizations played an important role in the conference.
Mr. Perlman warned that ”any division in the efforts of those who oppose the McCarran-Walter Act invites failure.” He urged resistance against ”any efforts for temporary measures, no matter how appealing they may seem” in a call for an all-out fight for immigration laws consistent with American tradition.
Revealing that a new bill, along the lines suggested by President Truman’s commission, is being drafted, Mr. Perlman said the work is being done by volunteers assembled by Julius Edelstein, administrative assistant of Sen. Lehman. It is hoped to develop a draft upon which all those who believe the Act should be rewritten will agree. When completed, it will be submitted to President Eisenhower for consideration by him and his advisors. Those interested in its preparation are anxious for it to become an Administration measure, presented to Congress on a nonpartisan basis.
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.
