REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER GENERAL OF IMMIGRATION. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION, SIR: It will not be the purpose of this report to place before you, Mr. Secretary, a detailed statement of the minor transactions which were necessarily incidental to the major activities of the Bureau of Immigration during the past year. Rather, the purpose will be to present, in expressive tabulated form, the sum total of the year's work of the Immigration Service, from which tables you will be able readily to visualize the extent of the task which has been performed. But certain introductory comment on the figures and certain observations of a general character appear to be a necessary prelude to the report. The fiscal year 1921 has added a particularly interesting chapter to the history of immigration to the United States and its insular territories and possessions. With the cessation in 1918 of general hostilities in war-spent Europe, speculation became rife among those interested in the immigration question as to the quantity and character of immigration this country would draw from that continent after it became apparent that peace was really established and something like normal conditions of ocean travel were restored. Some predicted that the stupendous task of reclaiming Europe from the devastation d waste of years of war would appeal to the patriotic motives and im the time and attention of the vast majority of those who, at a he other than extraordinary, might be expected to find their way re. Others were of the view that an irresistible spirit of unrest in ne post-war period, disturbed political and economic conditions, and he reopening of the lanes of travel after a closed period of some five years would, if unchecked by restrictive legislation, bring upon us an unprecedented flood of immigration. W The steadily increasing numbers of arrivals in the closing months of the fiscal year 1920 suggested the probable accuracy of the view of the last-mentioned school of thought. The press of arriving aliens in the succeeding months and until emergency legislation, drastic in its restrictive measures, began to stay the tide demonstrated with startling clearness the accuracy of this view. The total number of alien arrivals in the fiscal year 1921 was 091,942. After examination 13,779 of these were found to be unacceptable for various reasons and deported. The number of alien admissions for the year was, therefore, 978,163, as against 621,576 in the previous year and 237,021 in the fiscal year 1919. Of the total number of aliens admitted during the past year 172,935 were nonimmigrant (i. e., not coming for permanent residence). Our true immigration for the year was, therefore, 805,228, as compared with 430,001 for the previous year-an increase of 375,227. The emigrant departures were 247,718, a decrease of 40,597 from the previous year. The permanent addition to our alien population was, therefore, 557,510. The number of aliens accorded immigration inspection for the year (which includes 1,139,339 seamen) aggregated 2,131,281, exceeding by 564,829 the alien inspections of the previous year, and by 679,748 the total inspections in 1907, when there occurred the heaviest immigration in the history of our country (at which time, however, aliens engaged regularly in the calling of seamen were not required to be examined). 1 It is a peculiar fact that nearly all of the additional alien arrivals was at the port of New York, the total for all of the other ports (including the Canadian and Mexican borders) having been but 339,450, as compared with 301,102 during the preceding year. There was an actual decrease in the number of such arrivals across the land borders, accounted for on the southern border by more or less depressed industrial conditions which had a tendency to discourage immigration from Mexico, and on the northern by the high rate of currency exchange, the material advances in railway and sleeping car rates, economic conditions comparable to our own, and a wage scale not materially lower than that which prevails on this side of the line. Our border officers, however, have had a busy and trying year in endeavoring to prevent the surreptitious entry of unvisaed and otherwise inadmissible aliens from certain of the countries of Europe who chose this indirect route of travel because of the knowledge, or belief, which they had that they would certainly be rejected at our seaports or any other port or place where they might apply for admission in regular manner. The situation with respect to this class of aliens has become particularly serious on the southern border and comment thereon will be made in another part of this report. THE PASSPORT-CONTROL REGULATIONS. There have been some important modifications of the passpo control regulations. Immigration officers continue to act as conti officers at our ports for and on behalf of the Department of State. The permit system has been abandoned, so that it is no longer necessary for resident aliens to obtain special permits before departing from the country. Our own citizens also may depart from and return to the country without special permits, although the presentation of such passports is quite generally required by the foreign Governments before travel through the respective countries is permitted. With but few exceptions all aliens coming to the United States, either as immigrants or nonimmigrants, are required to h passports and consular visas. These exceptions are: Citizens of Canada, Newfoundland, Bermuda, and the Bahama Islands, or subjects domiciled therein; citizens of St. Pierre and Miquelon, or citizens of France domiciled therein; with certain exceptions, aliens who have been residents of Mexico within the 40-mile border zone for at least one year prior to the date upon which they start upon their trip to the United States; aliens, regardless of nationality, ف regularly domiciled in the United States who return thereto, after an absence not exceeding six months, from Canada, Newfoundland, Bermuda, the Bahama Islands, or St. Pierre and Miquelon; aliens making round-trip cruises from American ports without transshipment from the vessel on which departure occurred; and aliens who are passengers on vessels which touch at United States ports while enroute to foreign destinations. MEXICAN AGRICULTURAL LABORERS. At an early stage of the war it became apparent that in certain parts of the country there was a serious shortage of agricultural laborers essential to the production of foodstuffs and cotton. Strictly as a matter of war policy, and by virtue of the authority of the ninth proviso to section 3 of the general immigration act, it was determined to waive certain provisions of the immigration requirements and admit, temporarily and conditionally, a limited number of such laborers from Mexico. Authority for the admission of this class of aliens was terminated on March 2, 1921, and the importers were called upon to return to Mexico all such aliens then in their employ. The return movement is still under way, extensions having been granted by the department, upon application, in certain especially meritorious cases. The total number of aliens admitted under the department's exceptions during the years 1917 to 1921, inclusive, was 72,862. Of this number, 34,922 have returned to Mexico; 414 died; 494 were examined for permanent residence, found eligible for admission under the immigration laws, paid head tax, and were admitted; 21,400 deserted their employment and disappeared; and, so far as can be ascertained, 15,632 are still in the employ of the original importers. Of those who deserted their employment and disappeared, it is likely that a considerable percentage have found their way back to Mexico, owing to the present slight demand for that class of labor in the border States. CONTRACT LABOR. Ordinarily, an interesting and important phase of the bureau's work is that which pertains to the enforcement of that clause of the law which was designed to protect our workmen from an invasion of foreign laborers induced to come here under contract or agreement for their services. There are but few transactions under this provision of the law to report, for there has been, during the major portion of the year at least, an oversupply of domestic labor in most of the branches, and, except in a few special lines, there has been no occasion for employers of labor to call upon the foreign labor markets. ALIEN STOWAWAYS. This anomalous type of immigrant, or intending immigrant, has continued to arrive in our ports in increasing numbers, choosing to come in this manner because of having been rejected as a "poor risk" by the steamship companies, because of lack of funds with which to purchase transportation, lack of a passport or consular visa, encouragement by organizations, or because of other and varied reasons. The total arrivals of this class for the year was 3,539 as compared with 2,392 in the preceding year. At the port of New York alone there was recorded the arrival of 1,545 aliens of this class. Some of the steamships plying to that port have brought as high as 25 to 30 stowaways on each trip. A certain vessel which recently arrived there had 57 stowaways on board. The vast majority of such aliens are promptly and properly deported, although occasionally some of them are found to be admissible. All are examined as to their admissibility under the immigration laws. ORIENTAL IMMIGRATION. There were admitted during the year 4,017 Chinese immigrant aliens. The total number of immigrant aliens of this race admitted in the fiscal year 1920 was 2,148-an increase for the year of 1,869. In addition to those admitted, 404 Chinese arrived at our ports of entry for aliens of that race and were deported after examination had established their ineligibility for admission. Additionally, 5,815 Chinese were examined for return privilege, on applications made by them, and 5,754 return certificates were issued. The number of Chinese emigrants departing from the United States was 5,253. A majority of these left only after securing certificates which, prima facie, entitled them to readmission upon return. The searching investigations which it is necessary to conduct, with a view to the prevention of imposition and fraud, in the cases of Chinese seeking the return privilege consume a great deal of the time of our officers and affords Chinese who are unlawfully in the country an inexpensive, easy, and comparatively safe means of establishing a "lawful" status upon which they can depart from and return to the country, and even bring in their wives and offspring. Possibly the whole plan of preinvestigation, except in the cases of departing laborers who are entitled to a predetermination of their status as a matter of law, should be abolished. A not inconsiderable number of Chinese, not carried in the statistical returns, succeeded in entering the United States by deserting from vessels upon which they arrived as crew members, in addition to which there has been perhaps the usual number of surreptitious entries across our land borders. A plan to refuse shore leave to Chinese seamen unless and until a bond to insure ultimate departure is furnished is now being devised, and the bureau will have a definite recommendation to make as to this in the near future. Seventy-three Chinese stowaways were discovered on a vessel which recently arrived at the port of San Francisco from the Orient. It was ascertained that these stowaways had for years been crew members of different vessels plying between this country and ports in China; that on their previous return to Hongkong on the vessel on which they arrived as stowaways they refused to sign the vessel's articles for the return trip to this country, ostensibly abandoning their calling; that an equal number of their countrymen, inexperienced as seamen, were thereupon signed on the articles of the ship in their stead; and that the 73 old crew members then stowed away on the vessel and actually performed the customary duties aboard the vessel up to the time of her arrival at San Francisco, when they again stowed away. This was no mere prank that the Chinese |