REENTRY PERMITS (INCLUDING CHINESE) A reentry permit is issued to an alien upon application if it is found that when he last entered the United States he was legally admitted for permanent residence. The permit does not give the alien unconditional right of reentry. He is subject to examination upon reentry and must meet all the requirements of the immigration laws. The reentry permit is merely evidence that the holder is returning from a temporary absence abroad to resume an unrelinquished lawfully acquired domicile, and relieves the applicant of the necessity of securing an immigration visa. Reentry permits are good for one year from the date of issuance. The validity of a permit may be extended, upon a satisfactory showing, for a period or periods not to exceed six months each. A fee of $3 is charged for the issuance of each permit and for each extension thereof. The use of reentry permits by aliens is increasing yearly; 66,354 were issued in the year 1925, 104,666 in 1926, and 102,195 in 1927. At the close of the preceding fiscal year 4,219 applications were pending, which with the applications received during the past year made a total of 117,794. Of this total, 113,977 were granted, 2,103 in which no record of the legal admission could be found were denied, leaving 1,714 applications pending at the close of the year. There were 9,110 extensions granted during the fiscal year 1927 and 10,731 during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1928. The total amount of money transferred to the disbursing clerk for deposit in the Treasury due to the issuance of permits and the granting of extensions thereof was $374,124. This amount represents an excess of $40,209 over that so transferred during the previous fiscal year, due to the fact that 11,782 more permits were issued and 1,621 more extensions granted. Failure of aliens to comply with the instructions appearing on the application blanks necessitated the return of 10,442 applications for correction, amplification, etc., in addition to which 922 applications were received too late to be acted upon prior to the date given for departure. In many cases the information on the application relative to the place and date of arrival and the name of the vessel on which the alien came is found to be erroneous. This necessitated further correspondence with the alien and the port. During the year 53,678 letters were written. In addition thereto, 119,311 other pieces of mail were sent out, including 114,599 applications sent to ports for verification and 1,403 cases in which the Bureau of Naturalization was furnished advices in connection with petitions for naturalization. The number of pieces of mail received during the year, including applications returned from ports, was 254,563. The returnpermit division was organized when the present act of 1924 became effective. At first some little difficulties were encountered in settling upon a proper accounting system for money received for the permits and extensions thereto. However, with the help of the Comptroller General's Office a very much improved accounting system has been inaugurated and is now in operation in this division. VISA PETITIONS During the past fiscal year 38,460 petitions were filed by American citizens for issuance of immigration visas in behalf of wives, unmarried children under the age of 21 years, husbands, and parents, an increase of approximately 4,300 over the preceding year, and approximately 14,600 over a similar 12-month period of two years ago. Of the petitions filed this year, 33,675 were approved and 3,210 rejected. It was impossible to act upon the remainder, owing to the omission from the petitions of essential data or absence of evidence justifying favorable action. On May 29, 1928, Senate Joint Resolution No. 5 was signed by the President, placing children between the ages of 18 and 21, of American citizens, upon a nonquota basis instead of upon a preference basis within the quota merely as formerly. The husbands of American citizens, where marriage occurred prior to June 1, 1928, were also placed in the nonquota class. This measure removed many from the preferential list to the nonquota list, thus moving upward the names of many parents of American citizens for whom petitions already had been filed. As in the previous fiscal year, the largest number of petitions filed by naturalized citizens were from those who have recently acquired such citizenship. IMMIGRANT STUDENTS During the fiscal year 1,816 aliens were admitted to the United States as nonquota immigrant students, making a total of 7,031 aliens so admitted since the immigration act of 1924 went into effect. Of this total, 2,256 have to date completed their studies and left the country. During the 4-year period 206 warrants have been issued with a view to the deportation of students who have failed to comply with the conditions stipulated at the time of admission. During the past fiscal year 117 schools have received full approval as institutions of learning for immigrant students, making a total of 1,279 schools so accredited. During the past year fewer students admitted were found unable, because of insufficient knowledge of the English language, to enter the schools to which destined. This is accounted for by the greater care exercised by schools in the issuance of letters of acceptance, due doubtless to a fuller realization that, once a student is accepted and enters the country upon the strength of such acceptance, the schools are morally obligated at least to exert every effort to enroll the student and aid him in overcoming his language deficiencies as rapidly as possible. At a meeting of the College Entrance Examination Board of New York City last spring, a committee was appointed to render a report upon the feasibility of holding examinations in English for prospective students at certain foreign centers in June of each year, the findings of such examinations to be made available for the use of consular officers as well as the guidance of the colleges in issuing letters of acceptance. If such a practice is established, it is believed many students will be saved the embarrassment of being refused by a college after arrival in the United States. It may be said in this connection that a sufficient staff is not available to the bureau to maintain a satisfactory check upon the status of aliens admitted as immigrant students, the bureau being compelled to rely very largely upon the schools to report any defections. PERSONNEL FIELD SERVICE Number of employees, by class, on the rolls on July 1, 1927, and June 30, 1928 Minimum number of employees on the rolls during the year, 1,906 on July 1, 1927. Maximum number of employees on the rolls during the year, 1,963 on November 1, 1927. The amount expended for salaries of the immigration field force during the fiscal year 1928 is $3,748,713.41. IMMIGRATION BORDER PATROL Number of employees, by classes, on the rolls on July 1, 1927, and June 30, 1928 Minimum number of employees on the rolls during the year, 731 on July 1, 1927. Maximum number of employees on the rolls during the year, 776 on November 1, 1927. The amount expended for salaries of the border patrol force during the year 1928 was $1,342,249.54. Appropriation for the conduct of the Immigration Service and the administration of the immigration laws For the enforcement of laws regulating immigration into the United For coast and land border patrol.. For physical maintenance and upkeep of immigration stations.. Total.. $4, 985, 000 1, 600, 000 50,000 91, 840 6.726, 840 The net amount expended during the year for all purposes, after deducting refunds to the appropriation for expenditures not properly chargeable to the Government, was $6,690,100.82, leaving an unexpended balance of, $36,739.18. Balanced against the expenditures mentioned, there was collected, as hereinafter shown, the sum of $3,959,409.56, making the actual net cost of operation $2,730,691.26. Income and sources thereof Head tax reported by customs districts.. Reentry permits and extensions... Bonds forfeited and paid without suit... Sale of exclusive privileges (feeding, money exchange, etc.). Sale of Government property Miscellaneous collections.. Coin-box collections, Ellis Island, Boston, Philadelphia Total... BORDER PATROL The fiscal year covered by this report is the fourth one since the creation of the immigration border patrol. Beginning July 1, 1924, with an appropriation of a million dollars and a personnel of 472 employees, the organization has been expanded to a total of 747 members, consisting of 1 supervisor, 6 assistant superintendents, 28 chief patrol inspectors, 166 senior patrol inspectors, 504 patrol inspectors, 15 motor mechanics, 22 clerks, 3 laborers, and 2 janitors. During the year last past it operated on an appropriation of $1,600,000. Transportation equipment consists of 267 automobiles and 13 trucks. In addition to these, 15 saddle horses and 7 pack horses are provided under a system of allowances to individual patrolmen. The outstanding accomplishment of the immigration border patrol for the past year was the apprehension of 25,534 persons of all kinds found engaged in unlawful activities. Of this number, 23,896 were turned over by patrol officers to examiners of the Immigration Service. Out of this total, 18,000 were smuggled aliens and 330 were found to be smugglers of aliens. There were turned over to the Customs Service 871 persons; to the Prohibition Unit, 105 persons; to State and municipal authorities, 538 persons; and to other branches of the Government, 124 persons. Seizures were made of 671 automobiles at an estimated value of $291,919, and of 314 other conveyances at an estimated value of $69,802. Liquor aggregating 353,392 quarts estimated at a value of $386,692 and miscellaneous contraband goods valued at $25,451 were seized by patrolmen and delivered to the appropriate governmental agencies concerned. In the preceding fiscal year 12,098 smuggled aliens were apprehended. The past fiscal year witnessed an increase of 50 per cent in the number of such aliens taken into custody. While the total personnel of the organization underwent a contraction as compared with the previous year, the total number of actual patrolmen was increased and it was possible to add 35 additional automobiles. |