A call to Americans of all faiths to unite to replace the McCarran-Walter Immigration Law with “one which truly reflects America’s compassion and common sense,” was voiced here last night by Walter H. Bieringer, who was re-elected president of the United Service for New Americans at the annual meeting of the organization.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the U.S.N.A., Mr. Bieringer charged that “with this intolerable law, conceived and engineered by a small but powerful group in Congress, America turns her back on the very policies which made her great.” He added that the new immigration law posed major problems for the continued operation of U.S.N.A., asserting that “we must learn to operate as effectively as the new and strange conditions will permit.”
The U.S.N.A. president also warned that the enactment of the legislation had “already had a deteriorative effect” on the immigration policies of other countries “who follow our lead” in such matters. It was reported at the U.S.N.A. meeting that the organization will be responsible for most of the 5,000 Jewish immigrants expected to arrive in the United States this year. It will also continue its integration assistance program for many of the recent newcomers who have settled in some 350-communities.
Sen. Hubert Humphrey who, together with Sen. Herbert Lehman, last year introduced a liberal substitute for the McCarran Act, predicted that the immigration statute would soon be abolished. Condemning the racist thinking and rigidity of the McCarran Law, Sen. Humphrey suggested its replacement with a measure which would permit a pooled quota plan and the entry of 250, 000 immigrants annually.
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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.
