|
|
|
|
SUBSCRIBE The leading Copyright |
Presidential Papers Historical Series: Special Message To The Congress On Immigrationby Dwight D. Eisenhower: 1953-1961
March 7, 1960 To the Congress of the United States:
I again urge the liberalization of some of our existing
restrictions upon immigration.
The strength of this nation may be measured in many
ways--military might, industrial productivity, scientific
contributions, its system of justice, its freedom from
autocracy, the fertility of its land and the prowess of its
people. Yet no analytical study can so dramatically
demonstrate its position in the world as the simple truth that
here, more than any other place, hundreds of thousands of
people each year seek to enter and establish their homes and
raise their children. To the extent possible, without dislocating the lives of
those already living here, this flow of immigration to this
country must be encouraged. These persons who seek entry to
this country seek more than a share in our material
prosperity. The contributions of successive waves of
immigrants show that they do not bring their families to a
strange land and learn a new language and a new way of life
simply to indulge themselves with comforts. Their real concern
is with their children, and as a result those who have
struggled for the right of American citizenship have, in
countless ways, shown a deep appreciation of its
responsibilities. The names of those who make important
contributions in the fields of science, law, and almost every
other field of endeavor indicate that there has been no period
in which the immigrants to this country have not richly
rewarded it for its liberality in receiving them. In the world of today our immigration law badly needs
revision.
Ideally, I believe that this could perhaps be accomplished
best by leaving immigration policy subject to flexible
standards. While I realize that such a departure from the past
is unlikely now, a number of bills have already been
introduced which contain the elements of such an idea. The
time is ripe for their serious consideration so that the
framework of a new pattern may begin to evolve. For immediate action in this session I urge two major
acts.
First, we should double the 154,000 quota immigrants that we
are presently taking into our country. Second, we should make special provision for the absorption
of many thousands of persons who are refugees without a
country as a result of political upheavals and their flight
from persecution. The first proposal would liberalize the quotas for every
country and, to an important extent, moderate the features of
existing law which operate unfairly in certain areas of the
world. In this regard, I recommend the following steps: 1. The removal of the ceiling of 2,000 on quotas within the
Asiatic-Pacific triangle; 2. The basing of the over-all limitation on immigration on
the 1960 census as soon as it is available in place of that of
1920 which is the present base;
3. The annual acceptance of 1/6 of 1% of our total
population; 4. Abandonment of the concept of race and ethnic
classifications within our population, at least for the
purposes of the increases in quotas I have recommended, by
substituting as the base for computation the number of
immigrants actually accepted from each area between 1924 and
1959. In other words the increase in the quota for Italy, for
example, would not be based upon a percentage of a so-called
Italian ethnic group within our country, but upon a percentage
of actual immigration from Italy between 1924 and 1959;
and 5. The unused quotas of under-subscribed countries should
be distributed among over-subscribed countries. This
distribution should be in proportion to the quotas of the
over-subscribed countries. My second major proposal is for authorization for the
parole into this country of refugees from oppression. They are
persons who have been forced to flee from their homes because
of persecution or fear of persecution based upon race,
religion or political opinions, or they are victims of world
political upheaval or national calamity which makes it
impossible for them to return to their former homes. This year has been designated World Refugee Year. The
United States and sixty-eight other nations have joined
together in an attempt to seek permanent solutions for the
problems of these peoples. Nations who in the past have
granted entry to the victims of political or religious
persecutions have never had cause to regret extending such
asylum. These persons with their intellectual idealism and
toughness will become worthwhile citizens and will keep this
nation strong and respected as a contributor of thought and
ideals. I have asked the Attorney General to submit a draft of
legislation to implement the recommendations I have made. The
Administration stands ready to supply whatever information is
necessary to permit appropriate action by the Congress during
its present session. If, notwithstanding my specific
recommendations, the Congress should enact other or different
liberalizations of our immigration law that are constructive,
I will be glad to approve them. Reprinted with permission from John Wolley and Gerhard Peters of the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara at the American Presidency Project.
About The Author |
Add to del.icio.us