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PLEA MADE FOR ‘LOYAL’ ALIENS

Protests Heard by Congress Agents

The “enemy aliens” who are not “enemy” to America’s cause nor “alien” to America’s ideals will have their day before the Tolan defense migration committee.

Thousands of men and women who fled the Axis are still classed as “enemy aliens” as are the American-born who lost their citizenship through marriage with foreigners. Members of the congressional committee staff yesterday heard protests against grouping these Axis-hating people with “enemy aliens” and will report in Washington Sunday to the full committee representations in their behalf made by Bay Area residents.

G.E. Wade, Alameda county clerk, proposed that action on legislation pending before Congress for two years would clarify the position of this group. He pointed out that inability of the immigration and naturalization service to cope with the flood of citizenship applications has so slowed the process that records are a year behind in that Federal office, the aliens unable to establish their position.

Paul Armstrong and Mrs. Anne M. Godfrey, assistant district director of the immigration and naturalization and principal clerk, respectively, conferred on the matter with Dr. Robert K. Lamb, Tolan committee staff director.

National headquarters of the American Civil Liberties Union in New York city meanwhile assailed the Army’s evacuation order for the West Coast military area as “far too sweeping to meet any proved need” and urged it to be modified “to provide hearings for all citizens before evacuation.”


By United Press

WASHINGTON, March 13, — Senator Tom Stewart (D., Tenn.) said tonight that hearings will be held March 23 on a bill which would revoke citizenship of all American-born Japanese.

The hearings will be before a Senate immigration subcommittee of which he is chairman.

The bill, introduced Feb. 19 by Stewart, affects all such Japanese in the United States and possessions. Under existing statutes, Japanese cannot become naturalized citizens.

Mr. Stewart said that in the famous Wong Kim Ark case, however, the courts held that Orientals born in the United States are automatically citizens under the Constitution.


San Francisco News
March 13, 1942

Go to the Japanese Internment page.