Attorney General-designate Nicholas Katzebach today opened testimony to support the Administration’s immigration bill before a Senate Immigration Subcommittee. The President’s proposals, which are destined to eliminate the national origins quota system, were submitted in a special message to the Congress last month.
Mr. Katzenbach, urging abolition of the present system, said: “In such a system of selection, personal pedigree is an intolerable standard; inhumane rigidity is an intolerable method; and national self-deprivation is an absurd sacrifice.” He charged that the present selection factors “are most alien to America” and must be changed. The purpose of the new legislation, he said, is “to help us chose among potential Americans according to standards that are fairer to them and more beneficial to us.”
Senator Jacob K. Javits, New York Republican, appeared before the subcommittee in support of a proposal he and Senators Wayne Morse, Cregon Democrat, and Joseph Clark, Pennsylvania Democrat, are introducing to expedite elimination of the quota system.
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.