Search JTA's historical archive dating back to 1923

Immigrants Must State Their Race and Nationality, Bureau Rules

March 6, 1927
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
Advertisement

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

The United States Bureau of Immigration today corroborated the instructions issued by the Norddeutscher Lloyd in a circular to its agents in Germany.

The Bureau of Immigration here stated to the correspondent of the “Jewish Daily Bulletin” that it requires steamship companies to ascertain the race of aliens. Under the laws and regulations, every steamship must keep and submit a list or manifest of all alien passengers, giving among other things the nationality, race and country of origin. For purposes of this record the race of the Jewish people is designated by the term “Hebrew”, “Jewish” being avoided because the Bureau interprets “Jewish” as referring to religion rather than race, and Hebrew being considered a racial designation. Nationality refers solely to the political allegiance, according to the Bureau, which states that the law requires both the nationality and the race to be given, a clear distinction being maintained between the two for purposes of statistical record. It was pointed out as an example that many races come from Canada, including, Irish, Scotch, English, yet such aliens may all be of British nationality, that is, political allegiance.

Recommended from JTA

Advertisement