Sen. William Langer, Republican of North Dakota, yesterday introduced in the Senate a bill which would empower the Attorney General to stay deportation proceedings on aliens who had been in this country for five years or longer.
An identical bill was introduced in the House last week by Rep. Frank Fellows, Republican of Maine, chairman of the Sub-Committee on Immigration of the House Judiciary Committee.
The bill would amend the Immigration Act of 1917 to enable the Attorney General either to suspend deportation of an allen “who has proved good moral character for the preceding five years” or, in lieu of deportation, to permit the alien to “depart the United States to any country of his choice at his own expense.”
The measure would also enable the Attorney General to stay deportation if such action would result in “serious economic detriment” to a citizen or legally resident alien such as wife, parent, or minor child or if the alien has resided continuously in the United States for seven years.
According to letters received by members of Congress from Ugo Carusi, U.S. Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization, the bill would enable the Department of Justice to adjust the status of persons who entered the country illegally because of technical violations of the immigration code. Upon payment of an $18 fee the Commissioner would record the alien’s admission for permanent residence as of the date of his last entry and the State Department would deduct a quota number to cover his entry from the quota of the current year.
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