The alien seeking naturalization in this country cannot be expected to be either a constitutional lawyer or a walking encyclopedia of general information, Henry B. Hazard, assistant to the United States Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization, declared yesterday at an all-day institute on naturalization and citizenship conducted by the National Council of Jewish Women at the Young Men’s Hebrew Association, Ninety-second street and Lexington avenue.
In a recent survey by the commissioner, Mr. Hazard revealed, it was found that, of 848 typical questions asked candidates for citizenship, only twenty per cent required reasoning power, the other eighty per cent being requests for mere statements of fact.
QUESTIONS LISTED
Among the questions which naturalization officers deemed fitting to pose, the speaker said, were:
“How high is the Bunker Hill monument?”
“How many stars are there on a quarter?
“What does the Constitution of the United States prohibit and why? What does it guarantee and why?”
Adequate answering of the last question, he observed, would take several good-sized volumes.
The meeting was attended by 150 delegates from twenty-five sections of the National Council in the metropolitan area. Mrs. Jules Hart of Yonkers presided.
Mrs. Ruth M. Shipley, chief of the passport division of the Department of Labor, and Frank L. Weil, president of the Y. M. H. A., also spoke. In the afternoon a forum was held on pending immigration legislation, with Miss Cecilia Razovsky, immigration expert of the Council, conducting.
PUSHES ALIEN BILL
Among the bills now in Congress which the Council is striving to have enacted is H.R. 6795, which would give the Secretary of Labor the right to employ discretion in cases of non-criminal aliens where disruption of families was involved and to permit certain classes of persons here temporary to secure permanent residence without being obliged to leave the country. The measures propose to strengthen existing statutes dealing with deportation of alien criminals.
The service of the Council to the foreign-born has official national endorsement in this country and recognition abroad, Mrs. Hart stated. The Council is one of the most active women’s organizations in the field of liberalizing legislation affecting the immigrant and the foreign-born.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
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.
