Memorandum, Summary of McCarran-Walter Omnibus Immigration Bill

From Senston Lehmand office June 11, 1952 SUMMARY OF McCARRAN-ALTER OMNIBUS IMMIGRATION BILL (S.2550; H.R.5678) In its final form, as réported out of conference and passed by both Houses of Congress on June 10 and 11, the pending McCarran-Walter Omnibus Immigration Bill (S.2550, H.R. 5678) would write into law more than 20 new grounds for deporting Displaced Persons and other immigrants admitted in past years, thirteen new grounds for excluding future immigrants, and an undetermined number of new ways of losing one's American citizenship. This bill, over 300 pages in length, although ad- vertised as a "codification statute, would make more than a hundred changes in Federal law governing immigration, deportation, and citizenship. In substance the McCarran-Wal ter Omnibus Bill would authorize the complete stoppage of future immigration to the United States, and would shut down on current immigration, except for certain narrowly restricted categories. It would provide for deporting Displaced Persons and other immigrants admitted in past years who do not meet the new rigid McCarran-Walter standards, which the bill would make re- troactive. The bill would also deprive American citizens of citizenship on various grounds which the Supreme Court has not hitherto allowed. The most important changes in existing law that would be made by the pending bill are here summarized. * I. Immigration Among other changes in existing law the pending bill would: 1. Limit all future immigration to the United States to immigrants of "high education, technical training, specialized experience, or exceptional ability" who are "needed urgently in the United States" (Sec. 203(a)), and to parents of adult citizens, and spouses or children of admitted immigrants, except to the degree that unused visas, if any, under these categories may be used for immigrants without such special qualifications. * Each of the following organizations has testified in opposition to amendments of existing immigration laws which are among those listed in this memorandum: American Bar Association, American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of In- ternational Institutes, American Federation of Labor, American Friends Committee, American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, Americans for Democratic Action, Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, Association of Immigration and Nationality Lawyers, Common Council for American Unity, Council for Social Action of the Con- gregational Christian Churches, Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society, Inter- national Rescue Committee, Jewish Labor Committee, Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A., National Catholic Rural Life Conference, National Catholic Welfare Conference, National Community Relations Advisory Council, National Council of Jewish Women, Synagogue Council of America, Union d American Hebrew Congregations, United Service for New Americans, Young Women's Christian Association. Fuller explanations of the provisions here summarized will be found in the testimony of the foregoing organi- zations printed in the Joint Hearings before the Subcommittees of the Committee on the Judiciary, 82d Cong., lst sess., on S.716, H.R.2379, and H.R.2816, especially in statements beginning at pages 126, 230, 378, 413, 526, 562, 615, 656, 661, 667, 732, 738, 743, 747, and 752. CS TRUMAN NARA