President Eisenhower told a news conference today that his request for emergency legislation to admit 240,000 “Iron Curtain” refugees above the immigration quotas within two years was a separate and different matter from the revisions of the McCarran-Walter Immigration Act he asked in his State of the Union message.
The President explained to newsmen, in response to a question, that he had asked for the emergency refugee legislation to admit 240,000 Europeans because it was necessary. On the question of revision of the McCarran-Walter regulations, which cover citizenship technicalities and a much wider scope than the actual admission of aliens. President Eisenhower said he has received communications dealing with the Act and listed complaints against it. He did not indicate what he might do about revising the Act, but made it clear he felt the emergency refugee legislation to be a separate question.
Meanwhile, Congress indicated a “go slow” attitude in considering the President’s request for the emergency admission of “Iron Curtain” refugees. Most members of immigration sub-committees in the Senate and House indicated they wanted to study the request more carefully before committing themselves.
Sen. Pat McCarran, of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he would have no comment until he could learn what President Eisenhower “is driving at.” Sen. Arthur V. Watkins, of Utah, chairman of the Immigration Sub-Committee, said his group would give “careful consideration” to the President’s request. Rep. Kenneth B. Keating, a New York Republican member of the House Immigration Sub-Committee, said he would want” to study all the implications very carefully.”
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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.
