WESTERN HEMISPHERE IMMIGRATION 237

MIGRATION STATISTICS FAULTY

The statement has often been made that the Mexican is becoming increasingly
a permanent resident in this county and at an alarming rate. Statistics which
have been presented in support of this statement have been of two kinds:
First, those recorded in the census, where an increase of such population in this
country is shown. There is no question that there are Mexicans in the United
States, just as there are Chinese, Japanese, Gypsies, Slavs, Finns, French,
Italians, Germans, British, and what not. In the Southwest, where the Mexicans
lived before the Americans ever came there, no worse problem has presented
itself with them than with any other class of poor people.
The other figures are those presented from the records of the United States
Bureau of Immigration, and these, on their face, show that during the past few
years there have been as high as forty to sixty thousand immigrants annually
coming through regular ports of entry, and that only between two and three
thousand return. The people who present these figures seem very mulkch incensed
when we refuse to aceept them, though issued by a department of our Federal
Government, and give more credence to figures from Mexican and private sources.
It is only fair to say that even American statistics are not infallible. As a matter
of fact these statistics as presented are highly erroneous. Secretary of State
Kellogg, in his appearance before the Senate Committee on Immigration, quoted
from the Department of Labor’s own statement, which in commenting on their
record of entries and departures, said:
“Of course, no one who is acquainted with the Mexican border situation will
i nly no Mexicans entered illegally or that all who leave the country were
recorded.”
The Secretary of State himself sent to Mexico by Mr. Morrow, United States
Minister to Mexico, for that government’s figures, and quoted them as authori
tative. The reason why American statistics on returns to Mexico are not
reliable is that the Mexican is not required to register as he leaves this country
unless he wishes to return again within a short time limit. The Mexican statistics
 on returns to Mexico are much more reliable than are ours because any
Mexican who returns to Mexico without registering with the Mexican authorities
when he returns is classed as a revolutionist and so treated.

MOST MEXICANS RETURN TO MEXICO

Even allowing for the large influx each year of illegal immigrants from Mexico’
the United States statistics show that in recent years but four to nine have
returned for every hundred that came in legally. During the same period the
Mexican figures show that the returns to Mexico were practically the same, and
in some instances much greater than the legal entries to the United States. Up
to two years ago immigration has been quite heavy, but recent figures indicate
that immigration has dropped tremendously while returns to Mexico have still
hors keeping up to a considerable extent so that returns now greatly outnumber
entries.
During the hearings last year Senator Reed, of Pennsylvania, a member of the
Senate Committee on Immigration, was very outspoken in his support of the
proposal to apply the quota to Mexico, and from the questions which he directed
to a number of us during the hearings it was evident that his fear of the Mexican
was based upon governmental statistics, which of themselves tended to show the
tremendously increasing permanent population of Mexicans in this country.
Since then, however, the evidence which has been submitted to him through
these hearings, and possibly otherwise, has convinced him, we understand, of
the untenableness of his original position, and I note that in the Congressional
Record for September 4, 1929, he had inserted in the Record a speech by John
F. Simmons, chief of the vice office of the Department of State, in opposition to
the application of the quota to Mexico, in which the whole statistical situation
is frankly discussed, and it is shown that our fears for the overrunning of America
by Mexicans are wholly unfounded. It is his conclusion that ‘“‘such statistics
as are available indicate that any net gain (in permanent Mexican population in
the United States) has resulted largely from irregular entries rather than from
immigration.” Manifestly, the application of a quota law would not stop these
illegal entries but would rather increase them.
1052662016