Syllabus

Possession of counterfeit alien registration receipt card held not an act punishable under 18 U.S.C. § 1546, which prohibits, inter alia, the counterfeiting or alternation of, or the possession, use, or receipt of an already counterfeited or altered 'immigrant or nonimmigrant visa, permit, or other document required for entry into the United States.' The primary purpose of an alien registration receipt card is for identification within the United States, and its merely permissible re-entry function under an Immigration and Naturalization Service regulation does not suffice to bring the card within the coverage of the statute. There is a separate statutory provision specifically protecting the integrity of alien registration receipt cards, indicating that the Congress did not intend them to be covered by the more general language of § 1546. Pp. 295-301.

430 F.2d 173, affirmed.

William Bradford Reynolds, Dept. of Justice, Washington, D.C., for petitioner, pro hac vice, by special leave of Court.

John J. Cleary, San Diego, Cal., for repsondent.

Mr. Justice STEWART delivered the opinion of the Court.