Jewish Leaders Testify in Washington Against Immigration Laws

Leaders of national Jewish ###### lied here against the present immigration law and the ###### width becomes effective on December 24. They appeared at meetings ###### Special Commission on Immigration and Naturalization ###### there.

Speaking on behalf of the American Jewish Committee and the ###### League of B’nai B’rith, Irving M. Engel, Chairman of the ###### Immigration Policy Commission which would co###### into the United States.

Judge Louis E. levinthal of Philadelphia, former Adviser ###### the American Military Command in Europe, Testifying on behalf of the ###### on Jewish voluntary agencies operating in the field of immigrations ###### that the concept of deportation embodied###### based on the ### idea of exile and banishement. He ###### brief outlining the views of the National Council of Jewish women ###### Aid Society and United Service for New Americans.

PRACTICAL PROPOSAL FOR U.S. IMMIGRATION POLICY

Pointing out that the agencies in whose behalf he was testifying {SPAN}###{/SPAN}{SPAN}###{/SPAN} in the Immigration field for nearly 70 years. Judge {SPAN}###{/SPAN}{SPAN}###{/SPAN} termed “practical proposals” for changes in the immigration laws {SPAN}###{/SPAN}{SPAN}###{/SPAN} He stated that a “fair and humane immigration policy must {SPAN}###{/SPAN}{SPAN}###{/SPAN} six basic principles.”

These principles, he said, were that each immigrant should be ###### and not on his place of birth or racial background that ###### admitted on a planned resettlement basis that standards of ###### to protect both the prospective immigrant and the United States ###### review practices be established on the denial of ### that ###### he established to administer the laws, and that distinctions ###### native citizens be abolished.

He also proposed that a “floor” in the neighbourhood of ###### year be set, and that Congress establish a “ceiling” figure ###### a ### scale to determine exact quota numbers, periodically ###### commission. Once the total quota had been set, the judge states ###### issued anywhere in the world on a “first come, first ###### preference to family reunions and persons of distinguished ###### percentage to be allocated on American foreign policy needs ###### gency needs.

Mr. Engel, in attacking the present immigration law and the ###### gested that the national Immigration Policy Commission ###### Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League, ######

The Commission would set the maximum number of immigrants to be admitted to the United States each calendar year and over a period of years. The law would set the maximum number, which Mr. Engel suggested should be no lower than two-tenths of one percent of our total population, nor higher than four-tenths of one percent of our total population in any given year.

WANTS VISAS TO BE ISSUED ON “FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED” BASIS

Mr. Engel also suggested that visas should be assigned on a “first come, first served” basis, without regard to national origin or place of birth, with every applicant still required to meet personal qualifications such as health, literacy, loyalty, moral character, etc. “This system,” he asserted, “would make the true interests of the United States the determining factor in our immigration policy, rather than the doctrine of racial superiority, which is the basis of the present system.”

Mr. Engel told the Commission that the present system of deportation, except in cases of those who obtained admission by deliberate fraud, was nothing more than ‘the additional severe punishment of banishment for life,” a throwback to the dark ages. Pointing out that deportation subjects aliens to additional criminal sanctions not applied to citizens, the Jewish leader said that present deportation proceedings can be ex post facto in violation of the basic principles of the U.S. Constitution.

Emphasizing: that the agencies for which he spoke had been fighting discrimination based on race, religion, ancestry or national origin for nearly 50 years, Mr. Engel said: “The whole racist tenor of our immigration laws is reflected in the new requirement of the McCarran Act that all prospective immigrants must state on their visa application their ‘race and ethnic classification.’ ” Quoting a number of outstanding anthropologists, he pointed out to the Commission that the term “race” cannot be defined to the satisfaction of scientists, “let alone for purposes of legislation and administration.” He added that similar problems arise with respect to ethnic classification.

“A word can mean many things to many people,” Mr. Engel stated, “and no word, one may almost conclude, means more things to more people than does the word ‘Jew.’ Science aside, there are many Jews who insist that Jews are not an ethnic group at all, but simply a religious denomination.”