113
White House Statement on Government Policies To Reduce Immigration.
March 26, 1931

PRESIDENT HOOVER, to protect American workingmen from further competition for positions by new alien immigration during the existing conditions of employment, initiated action last September looking to a material reduction in the number of aliens entering this country. At his request, the Department of State examined the operation of the immigration law and reported that the only important provision of the law useful in the circumstances is that one requiring the exclusion of those who are liable to become public charges. Since then consular officials, charged with the duty of issuing visas to intending immigrants, have carefully examined each applicant. A tabulation completed today shows that during the first 5 months ending February 28, 1931, of the administration of the "likely to become a public charge" provision approximately 96,883 aliens did not receive visas who normally would have immigrated into this country.

Reports from American consuls assigned to 21 countries whose annual quotas total 148,466 of the total quota of 153,714 indicate that only 10,277 visas were issued during the 5-month period against a possible 74,233 allowable under law, or an under-issue of 86 percent.

Incomplete reports from the remaining 46 countries with annual quotas totalling 5,248 indicate an issue of 270 visas, a reduction of 90 percent.

Canada and Mexico furnished 70 and 19 percent, respectively, of the 61,504 nonquota visas reported issued during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1930, remaining 11 percent having been issued to natives of Central and South America.

During the 5-month period involved only 3,876 visas were issued to natives of Canada and 884 visas to natives of Mexico, as compared to 15,997 and 19,336 visas, respectively, in the corresponding 5 months of the last completed normal fiscal year, thus representing decreases of 76 and 95 percent.

NOTE: For the inauguration of the new immigration policy, see 1930 volume, Item 288.

Tables released with the statement follow:

Preference

Country 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Austria 706 17 14 27 32 90 13 87 05 95
Belgium 652 9 17 21 57 104 16 84 09 91
Czechoslo-
vakia 1,437 113 23 273 6 415 29 71 01 99
Denmark 591 11 24 36 70 141 24 76 13 87
Finland 284 12 63 47 1 123 43 57 01 99
France 1,543 14 19 52 221 306 20 80 15 85
Germany 12, 979 95 51 482 784 1,412 11 89 06 94

Preference

Country 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Great Britain and
Northern
Ireland 32, 860 39 4 573 1,819 2,435 07 93 06 94
Greece 154 74 ...... 59 2 135 88 12 09 91
Hungary 434 133 17 62 14 226 52 48 06 94
Irish Free
State 8, 927 11 ...... 27 283 321 04 96 03 97
Italy 2, 901 1,097 2 508 70 1,677 58 42 05 95
Lithuania 193 60 11 49 ...... 120 62 38 00 100
Netherlands 1,576 14 32 41 354 441 28 72 24 76
Norway 1,189 24 43 68 164 299 25 75 16 84
Poland 3, 262 407 27 194 ...... 628 19 81 00 100
Portugal 220 25 ...... 146 ...... 171 78 22 00 100
Russia 1, 392 135 16 81 376 608 44 56 32 68
Sweden 1,657 14 30 41 193 278 17 83 12 88
Switzerland 853 14 17 30 79 140 16 84 10 90
Yugoslavia 423 70 46 33 58 207 49 51 21 79

Total 74, 233 2, 388 456 2, 850 4, 583 10, 277 14 86 07 93
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Legend:

1: Half of annual quota ¹
2: Relatives of American citizens
3. Farmers
4. Relatives of aliens
5. Nonpreference
6. Total quota visas reported issued
7. Percent issued ²
8. Percent under-issued ²
9. Percent nonpreference issued ³
10 Percent nonpreference under-issued ³

¹ Only 10 percent of quotas which are 300 or over may be issued each month.
² Percent of possible issue actually issued or under-issued.
³ The figures given under column 9 represent the percentage of nonpreference visas issued as compared to the 5 months possible issue after reduction of the preference cases listed under columns 2, 3, and 4. The figures under column 10 represent the corresponding under-issue of visas.

NOTE.—The above figures represent visas actually reported as issued under each quota. In some instances reports on other visas for which quota numbers have been allotted to distant consulates are received by the quota control officers too late for inclusion in reports to the Department of State. The figures given for visas issued are therefore in some cases provisional in character and are slightly less than the total obtained at a later date.

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Month Average Actual Numerical
monthly issue issue decrease

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October 524 101 423
November 525 41 484
December 525 34 491
January 525 55 470
February 525 39 486

Total 2, 624 270 2,354

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1 Includes 46 countries, most of which have quotas of 100 annually.

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5 months 5 months Numerical
ended ended decrease
Feb. 28, 1931 Feb. 28, 1930

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October 1,608 6, 117 4, 509
November 808 3, 770 2, 962
December 603 2, 109 1,506
January 483 2, 115 1, 632
February 374 1, 886 1, 512

Total 3, 876 15, 997 12, 121

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OCTOBER 1930, TO FEBRUARY 1931, INCLUSIVE, WITH COMPARISON OF SAME PERIOD LAST FISCAL YEAR BEFORE THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES WERE PLACED IN OPERATION

5 months 5 months Numerical
ended ended decrease
Feb. 28, 1931 Feb. 28, 1930

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October 236 4,030 3,794
November 189 3,963 3,774
December 217 3,743 3,526
January 157 3,425 3,268
February 85 4,175 4,090

Total 884 19,336 18,452

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