§ 24. Mr. Iremongerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make representations through Her Majesty's Ambassador in Washington on behalf of British subjects married to United States citizens who are prevented by the present United States immigration laws from rejoining their spouses in the United States of America.
§ Mr. George ThomsonNo, Sir. A Bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act is now under consideration by the United States Congress. If enacted, this should dispose of the difficulty in a number of distressing cases. In these circumstances, I do not think representations of the type suggested are called for at the present time.
§ Mr. IremongerI thank the hon. Gentleman for that reply, but will he bear in mind the very tragic example of a constituent of mine and the harsh way in which these laws operate? Perhaps he will draw the attention of the United States Government to the fact that their laws are very much less liberal in that respect than ours are?
§ Mr. ThomsonI am very much aware of the personal case the hon. Gentleman has raised with us and in which he has sought to help one of his constituents. At the moment, this kind of case can sometimes be dealt with by a Congressman introducing a private Bill. In this case, the Congressman of the hon. Gentleman's constituent was unsuccessful in doing so. We hope that the new legislation I have mentioned may be helpful in this case.