CONTENTS American Federation of Labor, representation_ Barrien, Laura, statement of __ Bernstein, John J., statement of Bielski, Ruth Belle, statements of.. Bradfeld, Gussie Rosenkranz, statement of Celler, Hon. Emanuel, statement of Digest of wives' affidavits___. Eastman, Elizabeth, statement of.. Falkowsky, Luba Spector, statement of_ Kolinsky, Molly Stafman, statements. Letter from American consul__ Mach, Izabela Horowitz, statement of__ Matthews, Burnita S., statement of__ National Catholic Welfare Conference, letter of Nota, Mollie Liberman, statement Nyclich, Gertrude Roiter, statement of. Rosenberg, Sarah Schiffman, statement of White, Sue, statement of.. Wold, Emma, statement of Zilberblatt, Ruth Zyndell, statement of EXEMPT FROM THE QUOTA HUSBANDS OF AMERICAN CITIZEN WIVES AND TO LIMIT THE PRESUMPTION THAT CERTAIN ALIEN RELATIVES MAY BECOME PUBLIC CHARGES FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1931 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION, Washington, D. C. The committee this day met at 11.15 o'clock a. m., Hon. Samuel Dickstein (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. Gentlemen of the committee, there are about 175 women who, within the last two or three years, have married alien husbands. Some of these women have American children. Although there is a number for these husbands in the quotas, the consuls have taken, as they contend, an arbitrary position that the husbands may become a public charge. Briefly speaking, in all of those cases it appears that these women are working and that they are worth from three to five thousand dollars, approximately, in the bank. Some of them, as they claim, went to the consuls and the consuls told them they could get married and have their husbands admitted. Mr. RUTHERFORD. They have a right, under the quota, to come in? The CHAIRMAN. Oh, yes. Mr. JOHNSON. There are from 300 to 500 in this number. The CHAIRMAN. Oh, no; according to the figures I have there are from 175 to 200. Mr. JEFFERS. It seems that these ladies clearly understand, in their own way, what the law is, and so far as the law is concerned, if they can secure the consent of the consul in Poland and those countries where their husbands are now, they can come in; but it seems that the consuls are all agreed that their attitude should be that they will shut out these people if they can find any reason for doing so, on the ground that the husbands might come here looking for jobs and take jobs that the people who are already in the country need. These women want to present their tale of woe. Mr. JOHNSON. I move that the three women in the anteroom be heard briefly. (The motion was agreed to.) Mr. FREE. There is this to be said: there is a lot of bootlegging by women marrying men and getting them into the country and then divorcing them. The CHAIRMAN. I suppose you find something wrong about everything in life. Mr. FREE. There is a lot of that going on in Canada, Mexico and Cuba. 1 |