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{
    "localId": "68866136",
    "label": "Statement by President Harry S. Truman, Veto of Bill to Revise the Laws Relating to Immigration, Naturalization, and Nationality",
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    "id": "68866136",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Statement by President Harry S. Truman, Veto of Bill to Revise the Laws Relating to Immigration, Naturalization, and Nationality",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68866136",
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    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 25,
            "logicalDate": "1952-06-25",
            "month": 6,
            "year": 1952
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    "ocrText": "-\nwant all our residents of Japanese ancestry, and all our\nfriends throughout the Far East, to understand this point clearly. I\ncarnot take the step I would like to take, and strike down the bars that\nprejudice has erected against them, without, at the same time, establishing\nnew discriminations against the peoples of Asia and approving harsh and\nrepressive measures directed at all who seek a new life within our bound-\naries. I am sure that with a little more time and a little more discussion\nin this country. the public conscience and the good sense of the American\npeople will assert themselves, and we shall be in a position to enact an\nimmigration and naturalization policy that will be fair to all.\nIn addition to removing racial bars to naturalization, the\nbill would permit Anerican women citizens to bring their alien husbands\nto this country as non-quota immigrants, and enable alien husbands of\nresident women aliens to come in under the (ruote in a preferred status.\nThese provisions would be a step toward preserving the integrity of\nthe family undor our immigration laws, and are cl arly desirable.\nThe bill would also relieve transportation companies of some\nof the unjustified burdens and penalties now imposed upon them. In\nparticular, it would put an end to the archaic requirement that carriers\npay the expenses of alliens detained at the port of entry, even though\nsuch aliens have arrived with proper travel documents.\nBut these few improvements are heavily outweighed by other\nprovisions of the bill which retain existing defects in our laws, and\nadd many undesirable new features.\nThe bill would continue, proctically without change, the\nnational origins quota system, which was €: acted into law in 1924, and\nput into effect in 1929. This quota system -- always based upon assump-\ntions at variance with our American ideals -- is long since out of date\nand more than ever unrealistic in the face of present world conditions.\nThis system hinders us in dealing with current imnigration\nproblems, and is a constant handicap in the conduct of our foreign\nrolations. As I stated in my message to Congress on March 24, 1952, on\nthe need for an emergency program of immigration from Europe, \"Our pros-\nent quota system is not only inadequate to meet present emergency needs,\nit is also an obstaclo to the development of an enlightened and satis-\nfactory immigration policy for the long-run future.\"\nThe inadequacy of the present quota system has becn demon-\nstrated since the end of the war, when we were compelled to resort to\nemergency legislation to admi displaced persons. If the quota system\nremains unchanged, we shall be compolled to resort to similar emorgency\nlegislation again, in order to ndmit any substantial portion of the\nrefugees from communism or the victims of overcrowding in Europe.\nWith the idea of quotas in general there is no quarrel. Some\nnumerical limitation must be set, so that immigration will be within\nour capacity to absorb. But the overall limitation of numbers imposed\nby the national origins quota system is too small for our needs today,\nand the country by country limitations creato a pattern that is insult-\ning to large numbers of our finest citizons, irritating to our allies\nabroad, and foreign to our purposes and ideals.\nTho overall quota. limitation, under the law of 1924, restricted\nannual immigrati. n to approxinately 150,000. This was about onc-seventh\nof one percent of our total population in 1920. Taking into account\nthe growth in population since 1920, the law now allows us but one-\ntenth of one percent of our total population. And since the largest\nnational quotas are only partly used, the number actually coming in has\nbeen in the neighborhood of one-fiftecnth of one percent. This is far\nloss than wo must have in the years ahead to keep up with the growing\nnoods of our Nation for manpower to maintain the strength and vigor of\nour economy.\nThe greatest vicu of the present quota system, however, is\nthat it discriminetes, deliboratcly and intentionally, against many of\nthe pcoples of the world. Tho purpose behind it was to cut down and\nvirtually eliminate immigration to this country from Southern and Eastern\nEurope. A theory was invented to rationalize this objective. The theory"
}