Staniszewski v. Watkins

• Decision Date: 12 May 1948
• Parties: STANISZEWSKI v. WATKINS, District Director of U. S. Immigration, etc.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York

80 F. Supp. 132

STANISZEWSKI v. WATKINS, District Director of U. S. Immigration, etc.

United States District Court S. D. New York.

May 12, 1948.

George C. Dix, of New York City, assigned counsel for petitioner.

John F. X. McGohey, U. S. Atty., of New York City (William J. Sexton, Asst. U. S. Atty., of New York City, of counsel), for respondent.

Kirlin, Campbell, Hickox & Keating, of New York City (Delbert M. Tibbetts, of New York City, of counsel), for United States Lines Co.

LEIBELL, District Judge.

Petitioner was ordered excluded as an inadmissible alien under an order of the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization which was based upon a report of a Special Board of Inquiry dated October 24, 1947, and was affirmed on appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals December 3, 1947. He applied for and obtained a writ of habeas corpus on March 20, 1948, to review the cause of his detention on Ellis Island by the respondent herein. The respondent has filed a return to the writ and at the hearing on the writ submitted a certified copy of all the orders and evidence in the exclusion proceedings.

The following paragraphs are quoted from the opinion on which the exclusion decision of the Board of Special Inquiry was affirmed by the Acting Commissioner.

The pertinent conclusions of law of the Board of Special Inquiry, as amended by the Commissioner on appeal, are:

"(1) That under Section 13(a) (1) of the Immigration Act of 1924 8 U.S.C.A. § 213(a) (1), you are inadmissible to the United States in that you are an immigrant not in possession of an immigration visa and not exempted from the presentation thereof by the said Act or regulations made thereunder;"

"(2) That under the Passport Act approved May 22, 1918, as amended 22 U.S. C.A. § 223 et seq., and the Act of February 5, 1917 8 U.S.C.A. § 101 et seq., the appellant is inadmissible to the United States in that he does not present an unexpired passport or official document in the nature of a passport issued by the government of the country to which he owes allegiance or other travel document showing his origin and identity, as required by Executive Order No. 8766;

"(3) That under Section 3 of the Immigration Act of February 5, 1917 8 U.S.C. A. § 136, the appellant is inadmissible to the United States in that:

"(a) he has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude, to wit: Perjury;

"(b) he admits the commission of a crime involving moral turpitude, to wit: Perjury;

"(4) That under Section 1(a) of the Act approved March 4, 1929 8 U.S.C. A. § 180, you are inadmissible to the United States on the ground that you are an alien who had been arrested and deported in pursuance of law and to whom the proper authority had not granted permission to reapply for admission."

The manager of the Unlicensed Personnel Department of the United States Lines Company has submitted an affidavit "amicus curiae" from which I quote the following:

"3. On or about April 23, 1947 the petitioner herein became a member of the crew of the SS. JOHN J. CRITTENDEN at Norfolk, Virginia, for a voyage to Bordeaux, France, and return to the United States under articles by which he was entitled to be paid off at the end of the voyage. The petitioner served above said vessel as a seaman until on or about June 4, 1947, when he was granted shore leave by the Immigration Service and was paid off and discharged from that vessel.

"4. On or about July 14, 1947 the petitioner herein became a member of the crew of the SS. CRAWFORD W. LONG at New York, N. Y., for a voyage to one or more European ports and return to the United States under articles which provided for his discharge on the termination of the voyage. On the return of that voyage at New York he was ordered detained on board by an Immigration Inspector, whereupon he proceeded aboard the vessel as a seaman to the port of Cherbourg for return to Baltimore, Maryland. On arrival at Baltimore on or about October 10, 1947, he was again ordered detained aboard the vessel by an Immigration Inspector at Baltimore, and being unable to obtain a release from said detention order he was on or about October 15, 1947 removed to the Immigration Station at Ellis Island, New York, for safekeeping, where he has since been detained at the expense of the United States Lines Company at the rate of $3. per day.

"5. On information and belief, the petitioner has claimed a residence in the United States since 1911, pursuing his calling as a seaman. When he became a member of the crew of the vessels heretofore mentioned, he was in the United States and, if his residence therein was in any respect illegal United States Lines Company was not advised of that fact. He was furnished to the United States Lines Company in the regular way by his Union. He had in his possession at all times adequate seaman's papers issued by the United States Coast Guard for service on American ships, and the crew list which contained the name of the petitioner was duly submitted to the...