Sen. Herbert H. Lehman today called on President Eisenhower at the White House and asked the President’s support of a non-partisan citizens’ committee devoted to securing revision of the McCarran-Walter Immigration Act.
Sen. Lehman pointed out to the President that he had noted the omission of the McCarran-Walter question from the State of the Union message. He expressed to the President the hope that this omission was not significant of a change in attitude and asked that White House support be given efforts to secure hearings on the Lehman Bill or any other bill which would accomplish the same purpose.
The President was informed by Sen. Lehman of “grassroots” support throughout the United States by “every religious and nationality group” for McCarran-Walter revision. It was revealed that a citizens’ committee is in the process of formation by advocates of liberalization of the present law. The President’s attitude toward such a committee was not indicated by Sen. Lehman. All Sen. Lehman would say in this connection was that the President visualized an “uphill fight.”
Sen. Lehman told newsmen when he emerged from the President’s office that he and his Democratic colleagues would be pleased to join with Republicans in any legislative move to amend the McCarran-Walter Act. He told of the bill he had submitted last year. Bill 2585, which resulted from a year’s study by experts in the field of immigration and naturalization.
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