Jews Before Immigration Committee Urge That Separated Families Be United

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

Bills pending before Congress providing for amendments to the Immigration act so as to allow the admittance, irrespective of the immigration quotas, of the wives and children under 21 of declarents or American citizens, were endorsed before the House Immigration Committee yesterday by representatives of Jewish and non-Jewish welfare organizations.

Louis Marshall, speaking on behalf of the American Jewish Committee, urged action on a bill admitting families and relatives of citizens without regard to the quota provisions of the Act of 1924. Mr. Marshall said that if the committee could not see its way clear to report such a measure, he would favor the bill introduced by Representative MacGregor of New York, allocating 50 percent of the quotas to members of the families of foreign-born citizens.

Mr. Marshall emphasized the sanctity of the family and declared the present immigration law places a great deal of hardship on naturalized citizens whose parents and children are barred from this country. All that is asked, he said, is modification of administrative aspects of the immigration law, without disturbing its general character.

A suggestion made by Representative Golden, of Pennsylvania, that the committee adopt a plan assigning all the quota to the relatives of foreign-born citizens was approved by Mr. Marshall.

Former Congressman Nathan D. Perlman sponsored the resolution of Congressman Dickstein as a solution to the present difficulties confronting Congress on immigration matters. He said the influx of aliens by the enactment of this resolution would not be great and that it would bring happiness and contentment to those American citizens who have their parents and children in foreign countries and who are prevented from joining their families by the restrictions of the immigration law. Mr. Marshall, Bernard G. Richards, executive secretary of the American Jewish Congress, and Max L. Hollander. Grand Secretary of the Independent Order Brith Abraham supported Congressman Dickstein’s resolution.

The injustices of the present law were described by Mr. Richards as inhuman.

Miss Ethel Smith, speaking for the Woman’s Trade Union League told the committee that the admission of wives and children as proposed would not accentuate the unemployment situation.

Others who endorsed the MacGregor bill were Mrs. Alexander Wolf, vice-president of the National Council of Jewish Women; Mrs. Harry M. Bremer of the National Board of the Young Women’s Christian Association, Reed Lewis of the Foreign Language Information Service. Edward P. McGradey of the American Federation of Labor, Miss Agnes G. Regan. secretary of the National Council of Catholic Women; Bruce M. Mohler of the National Catholic Welfare Council. Charles F. Dolle, executive secretary of the National Council of Catholic Men.