The provision of the McCarran-Walter Immigration Act which requires applicants for U. S. vi3aa to list their “race and ethnic classification” does not require Jewish immigrants to disclose their religion, Edward Maney, director of. the Visa Office of the U.S. Department of State, informed the American Jewish Congress.
The State Department official replied to an A. J. C. letter to which was attached copies of mimeographed “personal data forms” used by two American consulates in Italy. These forms contained space for the designation of the applicant’s religious belief. The A. J. C. requested that the use of these forms be discontinued and that a new general departmental directive be Issued.
Mr. Maney’s letter notified the American Jewish Congress that he had ordered American consular officers to remove questions which would reveal religious affiliations from the consulate’s data form. The State Department’s position, Mr. Maney declared, is that “the requirement for stating race and ethnic classification in a visa application does not pertain to the applicant’s religion. “
Mr. Maney further noted that since this requirement “is the only one under the new law which could possibly lead to an inquiry about an alien’s religion” and “since the regulations specifically state that this requirement does not relate to the applicant’s religion, ” all American missions and consulates now stand fully instructed not to conduct. inquiries into the religious affiliations of immigrants.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
