The American Federation of Labor “heartily favors” temporary closing of this country’s gates to immigration, the Senate Immigration Committee was informed today.
Testifying at a hearing on the Reynolds alien restriction and deportation bills, Paul Schaarenberg, the federation’s legislative representative, declared the A.F. of L. “heartily favors the closing of our gates for a few years to aliens to set our own house in order.”
(Both the A.F.L. and the Congress of Industrial Organizations have gone on record, however, in support of the Wagner-Rogers bill for admission of 20,000 child refugees of all faiths from Germany.)
The statement was in regard to one of Senator Robert R. Reynolds’ bills which would suspend all permanent immigration to this country for ten years or until the nation’s unemployed were back at work. However, another of the Reynolds measures providing for finger-printing of aliens was opposed by the A.F. of L. spokesman. J.H. Patten, representing the Immigration Restriction League, testified in support of the Reynolds bills.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
