SUBCOMMITTEE FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF S. 2450 AND H. R. 9284

Mr. VINCENT, Chairman

Mr. BACHMANN

Mr. RUTHERFORD

IMMIGRATION OF COLLEGE PROFESSORS

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

COMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION,

Wednesday, May 9, 1928.

The subcommittee this day met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. Bird J. Vincent presiding, for consideration of S. 2450, which reads as follows:

[S. 2450, Seventieth Congress, first session]

AN ACT To amend the immigration act of 1924 entitled "An act to limit the immigration of aliens into the United States, and for other purposes

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the immigration act of 1924 entitled "An act to limit the immigration of aliens into the United States, and for other purposes," be, and the same is hereby, amended as follows:

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SECTION 1. Subdivision (d) of section 4 is amended by striking out the words or professor of a college, academy, seminary, or university."'"

SEC. 2. There is hereby added to section 4 a new subdivision to read as follows:

"(f) An immigrant who is qualified to teach as may be by regulations defined, who seeks to enter the United States solely for the purpose of teaching in, and who shall have a written contract to teach for a definite term with, a college, academy, seminary, or university approved by the Secretary of Labor; and his wife, and his unmarried children under eighteen years of age, if accompanying or following to join him: Provided, That such institution of learning shall have agreed to report to the Secretary of Labor the continuation and termination of the employment of such teacher, and if any such institution of learning fails to make such reports promptly the approval shall be withdrawn."

Mr. VINCENT. This hearing is with respect to Senate bill 2450. might say that this bill has for its general purpose a change in the present immigration act of 1924, having to do with the admission of teachers in higher institutions of learning into the United States. from foreign countries.

The occasion for its introduction is the present requirement of law that a person who is to come in that capacity to the United States must have engaged in teaching in an institution of learning in the foreign country for two years continuously prior to the time of applying for a visa to come to the United States.

A number of our great universities in this country have found that provision embarrassing. One of the reasons that makes it embarrassing is that it is quite common for persons who have been engaged in teaching in foreign universities and who desire to contract for teaching in the United States-it is quite common for such people themselves to take a course of study of some sort before taking up their new work here. That act breaks the continuity of their two years' continuous teaching immediately prior to their arrival here and leaves them outside of the non-quota status under present law.

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This act was framed to take care of that situation. The objection that has been raised to this bill, both in this committee and outside of it, has to do with the legislative standard for qualifications which is written into this bill. It leaves the qualifications to be defined by regulations of the department.

It is felt generally in this committee that it is sounder administrative practice to make a legislative standard wherever possible in the immigration law, in order to save the departments which have to administer the law from the embarrassment of being constantly importuned to change their regulations and let somebody into the United States who happens to fall just outside of the range of their regulations. Where the provisions are definitely written into the law, the departments are saved that embarrassment, in that they simply have to decide whether or not the person or persons fall within the legislative requirement.

I have made this statement in order to acquaint the persons who desire to be heard with respect to the specific problem that confronts this subcommittee.

Miss Margaret Lambie is here, and I think she desires to have some witnesses heard.

Who, Miss Lambie, is to be heard first?

Miss LAMBIE. I desire to make a few remarks at this time, if I

may.

Mr. VINCENT. Go ahead.

STATEMENT OF MISS MARGARET LAMBIE, ATTORNEY AT LAW, WASHINGTON, D. C.

Miss LAMBIE. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, you probably know that this bill was initiated by the women's colleges which I am representing at this time.

Mr. BACHMANN. As I understand, you reside here in Washington? Miss LAMBIE. Yes, sir.

Mr. BACHMANN. You said you are an attorney, but you did not say where you practice.

Miss LAMBIE. My office is in the Mills Building, Washington, D. C. I am representing Bryn Mawr, Mt. Holyoke, Radcliffe, Smith, Vassar, and Wellesley. Each of these colleges has had some difficulties with the present immigration law in regard to the admission of alien teachers, and they decided to consult together and learn whether there is a general need for a change such as they wished to propose. These colleges appointed President MacCracken of Vassar, and President Park of Bryn Mawr a committee in immediate charge, who wrote to the presidents of a number of men's universities and received in reply letters from Harvard, Yale, Michigan, Minnesota, and others saying that they too had had difficulties and would be glad to indorse an amendment such as was proposed.

We now have about 200 indorsements from institutions of learning in nearly every State of the Union. They include State universities as well as those institutions of higher learning that are privately endowed. They include institutions with various religious affiliations. In fact, we feel that there is no cleavage in the support of this bill. It seems to be in response to a general educational need.