The Daily Worker

U. S. Insists on Sending Him to Certain Death

NEW YORK.-Within two hours of the receipt of the order from the Department of Labor to deport Guido Serio to Italy where he is facing a certain death, the International Labor Defense, through its attorney. Carol Weiss King, applied for a writ of habeas corpus to Federal Judge Wm. Bondy, to stop the deportation and grant a voluntary departure. The judge said he would render his decision within a few days.

After much pressure from militant organizations, Judge William Bondy ordered the district attorney to communicate with Washington authorities to "use some common sense in this Serio affair and in case the immigration department will not permit voluntary departure the court will be forced to take action."

But when the decision from Washington arrived yesterday insisting that Serio must go to Italy Judge Bondy delayed his decision that he promised to render.

Guido Serio was active in the militant labor movement in Italy. fighting the fascist tyranny and on many occasions was clubbed and almost beaten to death by the black shirts. Coming to the United States he became very active in the left wing labor movement and in various anti-fascist organizations.

Upon his arrest in Erie, Pa., last May, he was immediately turned over to the immigration department where he was questioned about his activity in Italy. The records leave no doubt in anyone's mind of the direct link between the U. S. and Italian governments and the desire on the part of Mussolini to get Serio back- to Italy.

Hundreds of labor and fraternal organizations have protested the deportation of Serio and in a statement issued today by the International Labor Defense, it was pointed out that "to save Guido Serio from a certain death at the hands of Mussolini a swift mobilization on the part of all workers' organizations must take place to vigorously protest the vicious action of the Department of Labor, - The Serio case has now reached a crisis, and the murder of this worker must be stopped and can be stopped only through the militant action and mass protest of labor."