The ongoing debate among descendants of immigrants on how best to keep new immigrants and illegal aliens out of the country is nothing new. Anti-immigration laws and sentiment were all the rage during the late thirties and especially during WWII. Guided by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the American Coalition of Patriotic Societies, Senators and Congressmen watched diligently for any hint that those funny little furriners might sneak in.Senator Rufus Holman (Rep., OR) in 1942 once blocked a bill in the Senate because it aroused his suspicion that "it relaxes the immigration laws," though he openly admitted, "I know nothing about this bill." Representative William Elmer (Rep., MO)--no doubt a descendant of the famous American patriot, Elmer Fudd, --was equally distrustful. He apprised the House of "a determined and well financed movement...to admit all the oppressed, Hitler-persecuted people of Germany and other European countries into our country."
