The Senate today opened discussion of the ?iley Bill which would admit 100,000 displaced persons to the U.S. over a period of two years. Debate is expected to continue for several days.
Senator Chapman Revercomb, chairman of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, in a long speech, described the details of the till and maintained that a considerable number of displaced persons had already entered the country through regular immigration channels.
The floor discussion, which was Joined by Senators Cooper, Ferguson, Lucas, Thye, Hatch, Saltonstall and Ives, centered largely around figures of actual immigration both quota and non-quota, during the last few years.
Under the President’s directive of December 22, 1945, some 33,000 displaced Arsons have entered the U.S. and it is estimated that 50,000 will have entered up to the end of June of this year. Revercomb maintained.
Senator Lucas countered with the fact that if immigration had not virtually ##irled up” during the war, over a million persons could have entered the country; Revercomb then pointed out that, because of nationality quotas, only 30,000## from areas that would now make them eligible as displaced persons. He also maintained that some 366,000 visitors — non-quota immigrants on visitors. visas — had #### in this country in 1947 and that many of then remained illegally.
Senator Lucas challenged his figures and asked him to furnish the actual figures for the number which had retired, illegally. “I think the situation behooves using actual figures,” Lucas said.
Revercomb stressed the fact that a large percentage of the immigrants who have entered the U.S. during recent years have settled in cities and a great percent-tens of them in New York City. Senator Ives replied that organizations in New York State are working to be able to admit many more of the displaced persons and said he hoped the bill would be passed so that New York could take its “fair share.”
Revercomb stated that “it is my view that this bill goes as far as any measure of this kind can go while keeping in mind the regulations which guard the best interests of the United States. I trust it will pass.” He offered an amendment which would enable the agricultural workers given a priority under the bill to bring their families with them.
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