Displaced Persons Act - Wikipedia

On June 25, 1948, President Harry Truman signed the Displaced Persons Act (it allowed 205,000 Europeans to come to the US). From the article:

"Displaced Persons Act

The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 (Pub.L. 80–774)[1] authorized for a limited period of time the admission into the United States of 200,000 certain European displaced persons (DPs) for permanent residence.[2]

This displaced persons (DP) Immigration program emerged from the enormous need to handle millions of displaced persons in Europe at the end of World War II. The United States helped fund temporary DP camps, and admitted large numbers of DPs as permanent residents. Truman strongly supported all activities to help DPs, and he supported the DP Immigration Program, and obtained ample funding from Congress for the 1948 Displaced Persons [Immigration] Act.

However, Truman had many objections to specific details in the Immigration Act, which he made explicit in his "Statement On Signing the Displaced Persons Act of 1948.[3] One strong objection was that it took away previous immigration quota places from others already on quota waiting lists, and simply transferred these places to DPs, and actually did this forwardly for as many years as needed by DPs (mortgaging the future years' places). Another strong objection was that the details of the Act caused it to very heavily discriminate against Jewish DPs, specifically those originally from Poland and the Soviet Union who had not yet reached Germany, Austria, or Italy by Dec 22, 1945 - this excluded group represented nearly the full totality of Jewish DPs. These two objections, and others, were removed in a later "Displaced Persons {Immigration} Act of 1950."

Truman also supported Jewish refugees in Palestine/Israel, but generally kept his actions quiet so as not to arouse anti-Semitism.[4] Historians Phil Orchard and Jamie Gillies hail Truman's "atypical leadership" in helping refugees.[5] Truman signed it into law on June 25, 1948.[3]

Proclamations of the Act

Eligible displaced person - any displaced person or refugee as defined by Annex I of the Constitution of the International Refugee Organization.[6] A displaced person is eligible for admission to the United States given the conditions on or after September 1, 1939 and on or before December 22, 1945.

Entered Germany, Austria, or Italy
Resided in the American sector of Italy
Resided in the British sector or French sector of Berlin or Vienna
Resided in the American zone, British zone, or French zone of Germany or Austria
A victim of persecution by the Nazi government whereas such persons were detained or obliged to flee persecution from Nazi perpetrators and subsequently returned to any of the aforementioned countries as a result of enemy action and of war circumstances.
Native of Czechoslovakia who fled from persecution or fear of persecution from that country and any of the aforementioned countries since January 1, 1948.
Immigration visas - limitations of visa quotas for eligible displaced persons as authorized by the Act

Immigration visas shall not exceed two hundred thousand for the first two years from the date the Act is passed by the U.S. 80th Congress.
Two thousand visas may be issued without regard to quota limitations to eligible displaced persons as quota immigrants.
Eligible displaced orphans may be issued special non-quota immigration visas whereby issuance shall not exceed three thousand.
Displaced Persons Commission

The Displaced Persons Commission was created with the enactment of the U.S. Senate S. 2242 bill. The Commission provided oversight of the U.S. displaced persons organization from June 25, 1948 through August 31, 1952.[7]

During the four years of the Commission legislative oversight, President Truman issued Executive Orders petitioning the Commission for investigative reports concerning the activities of the U.S. displaced persons affairs.[8][9]"