(Jewish Daily Bulletin)
The deportation of aliens of Russian origin who entered America unlawfully may be indefinitely postponed, judging from a reported declaration by the official spokesman of President Coolidge that the American Government will not recognize or resume diplomatic relations with Russia until Russia acknowledges its debt to the United States.
The American Government is aware of a special decree of the Soviet Government repudiating its debts and therefore debt recognition cannot occur until this decree is revoked. The immigration authorities have been permitting to remain in America such unlawfully entered aliens who establish that they are of Russian nationality, inasmuch as Russia refused to readmit deported aliens due to absence of diplomatic relations with the United States, which also prevents negotiation of any agreement with Russia respecting this matter such negotiations involving the recognition of Russia.
The immigration authorities meanwhile take the position that aliens will not be deported to Russia until the resumption of diplomatic relations can be effected. Of course, aliens cannot be deported to any other country but that of their origin.
There is also a possibility regardless of the outcome of the relations question, that all such aliens who have been in America for five years will never be deported, as that is the statutory time limit within which the immigration authorities have the right to deport aliens who entered the country in violation of the Immigration Law. There is a shorter statutory period of three years, applicable specifically to aliens who entered unlawfully at some place other than that designated by the immigration officials and without inspection, but it is legally questionable whether the shorter instead of the longer statutory period would have to be applied. The entire question of barring deportation by statutory limitation period is a technical legal question, the ultimate disposition of which is now uncertain, according to the declaration.
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