A new immigration restriction bill has been introduced into Congress, which, if adopted, would suspend all immigration into the United States for five years, except for relatives of American citizens and immigrants possessing special qualifications, who will have the right of admission at the discretion of the Secretary of Immigration and Labour.
Representatives of American patriotic societies, including the American Coalition of Patriotic Societies, General Daughters of America, American War Mothers, National Patriotic League, American Vigilance Federation, General Sons of American Revolution, Dames of American Legion, Military Order of the World War, and the National Security League, appeared last month before the Immigration Committee of Congress demanding the suspension of immigration to the United States, except for a provision to permit ### the reunification of families, by admitting close relatives of American citizens, particularly wives and children.
According to an official statement published last month by Mr. William N. Doak, the Secretary of Immigration and Labour, the total number of immigrants admitted to the United States last year was 43,233, and during the same year 33,200 aliens were sent out of the country, among them being 21,000 deportees.
Last year, the Minister wrote, broke all records for limiting entries and at the same time broke all records for deportations.
To show what might have happened had not a vigorous policy been adopted by the Government, on July 1st., 1931, the Minister went on, there were on file with the Department of State applications for visas against quotas of all countries to the number of 1,363,565; that is, that many aliens were waiting to enter when a quota was available. From this you can readily see what would have been the immigration into the United States were it not for the quota-limitation law. And even to-day, under the present policy of refusing visas to those likely to become public charges, and in the face of the instructions to consuls to discourage the filing of applications, except in meritorious cases, there are still pending applications for immigration visas to the number of 226,226, 159.
The United States Commissioner-General of Immigration, Mr. Harry E. Hull, also published a statement last month, in which he announced that immigration had fallen last year 75.9 per cent. from the 1930 level.
Only 43,353 immigrants were admitted in 1931, as against 180,251 in 1930 and 268,941 in 1929, he declared. The total, he pursued, has been declining steadily since 1926. The turn in the tide of immigration is shown by the fact that departures of aliens exceeded admissions by 94,474.
About two emigrant aliens departed for each immigrant alien admitted in 1931, he said, whereas in 1930 only two emigrants left for every seven immigrants admitted.
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