§ Captain P. MACDONALDasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps he proposes to take to prevent the illicit immigration of Jews into Palestine?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERThere are two classes of unauthorised immigrants into Palestine: (1) persons who cross the frontier without permission: (2) persons who are admitted as travellers for a period not exceeding 12 months in all and who remain in the country illegally after their authorisation has expired. The numbers of the first class are compara-344W tively small, and are being reduced by measures which the Palestine Government is taking on the frontier and in conjunction with the French authorities in Syria. As regards the second class, the numbers of which have been ascertained to be considerable, the High Commissioner has recently decided, with my approval, to adopt the following preventive measures;
(1)additional staff will be employed for the purpose of obtaining exact statistics of the number of persons entering the country as travellers and remaining illegally:
(2)a trained officer will be detailed to organise the surveillance of the movements of travellers whom there is reason to believe intend to remain, and the detection of the presence of persons who have entered without visas:
(3)special steps will be taken to warn recipients of travellers' and transit visas for Palestine that they are not permitted to settle in the country or to seek or to take up employment there:
(4)British Consular and Passport Control Officers in certain countries will be instructed to require from all except first-class travellers a deposit of £60, or a guarantee from a reputable bank or other institution:
(5)in future, visas will be granted only in exceptional cases to persons who hold only Nansen passports or equivalent documents.
I should add that, in calculating the half-yearly labour immigration schedules, which are based on the economic absorptive capacity of the country, the High Commissioner has made it clear that, in taking his decision, he has regard to the factor of unauthorised immigration. It will be readily realised that it is in the interest of everyone that unauthorised immigration should be reduced to a minimum. The number of immigrants who can be admitted must be governed by the absorptive capacity of the country; and of that the High Commissioner must be the judge. But it is obviously desirable that the number of immigrants who can be admitted should consist of persons who are introduced through the authorised channel after the normal process of selection. I am confident that the High Commissioner will receive general support in carrying out this policy.