House Committee Report Recommends 50% of Quota for Reuniting Families

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

The House Immigration Committee has filed its report on Congressman Jenkins’ bill, granting fifty percent of the immigration quotas to unmarried children under 21, husbands and wives of aliens lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence, and also any portion of the other 50 percent not used by parents of American citizens and agricultural workers who now are entitled to preference within that 50 percent.

The report sets forth a letter from Secretary of State Kellogg giving the department’s attitude toward the bill and including estimated figures in connection therewith. The report of the committee states:

“The Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, to which was referred H. R. 12816, after hearings and consideration, reports the same favorably and recommends that the bill do pass.

“The passage of the Johnson quota law in 1924 marked an epoch in immigration legislation. The application and enforcement of any comprehensive law brings out suggestions for its improvement. The strict application of the qouta has worked some hardships; it could not well have done otherwise. To remove some of these hardships without seriously affecting the underlying principles of the Johnson Act is the purpose of H. R. 12816.

‘In the consideration of the quota restrictions of our laws it appears that the people who are interested in the matter divide themselves into two classes. There is that cass of restrictionists who maintain that “there should be no letting down of the bars” and there is that class that contends for a “reuniting of families.”

“In the first-mentioned class are many who, if confronted with the situations that confront those in the second group, would no doubt give serious consideration to the requests for a reunion of members of families. Recognizing that restriction of immigration is an accepted national policy, and further realizing a happy family life is the corner stone of Americanism, it is believed that H. R. 12816 gives the maximum of relief to families that can be provided without extending the quotas and at the same time lets down the bars to the very minimum.

“H. R. 12816 amends section 4 and section 6 of the immigration law. No other sections are involved. Under section 4 as it now reads, ‘the unmarried child under 18 years of age or the wife of a citizen’ is admitted outside the quota. The husband is not included in this language. It is argued with much force that the age limit should be increased to 21 years and that the husbands should be included with the wives. There was much sentiment for this change when the original quota law was adopted. It is claimed that if a citizen husband is entitled to have his wife come in nonquota, a citizen wife should have her husband come in nonquota. It is chaimed that in these modern days unmarried children between the ages of 18 and 21 are usually finishing their education and should not be separated from their parents. These are the arguments for this bill as made by these who favored reuniting the families. If this bill becomes a law. it is hoped that it will become a permanent part of the quota law.

“As to how many will be entitled to admission by reason of the change in section 4 there is some uncertainty. The Department of State has made a survey of the situation and as will appear from that survey hereto appended, it is estimated it this proposed amendment had been in the original law, 8,261 children and husbands would have been entitled to admission from July 1, 1924. to March 1, 1928 or a little over 2,000 per year.”