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Displaced Persons Act of 1948
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The Displaced Persons Act was signed into law by President Harry Truman on June 25, 1948. The law authorized the admission of select European refugees as permanent residents of the United States. The law's provisions were temporary, taking effect in 1948 and ending in 1952.[1]
Background
World War II ended in 1945, leaving several million individuals displaced from their countries of origin. According to CQ Press, the United States and other Allied nations were responsible for approximately eight million people who had been displaced from their homes in Germany, Austria, and Italy. About seven million of these persons returned to their countries of origin. However, the remaining displaced people could not return to their home countries due to the possibility of racial or political persecution. The stated purpose of the Displaced Persons Act of 1948 was to provide for the permanent resettlement of some of these refugees.[2]
Legislative history
President Harry Truman (D) signed the Displaced Persons Act into law on June 25, 1948. Although Truman opted to sign the bill into law, he argued that some provisions of the bill discriminated against individuals on the basis of religious preference. In his signing statement, Truman said the following:[3]
| “ | I have analyzed closely the bill which was sent to me for signature. Its good points can be stated all too briefly: At long last, the principle is recognized that displaced persons should be admitted to the United States. Two hundred thousand displaced persons may be admitted in the next 2 years, as well as 2,000 recent Czech refugees and 3,000 orphans.
The bad points of the bill are numerous. Together they form a pattern of discrimination and intolerance wholly inconsistent with the American sense of justice.[4] |
” |
| —President Harry Truman | ||
Provisions
The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 provided for the admission of refugees who met the following conditions between September 1, 1939, and December 22, 1945:[1]
- Entered Germany, Austria, or Italy
- Resided in the American sector of Italy
- Resided in the British or French sector of Berlin or Vienna
- Resided in the American, British, or French zone of Germany or Austria
- Individuals persecuted by the Nazi government who were "detained in, or were obliged to flee from such persecution and were subsequently returned to" one of the aforementioned countries as a result of enemy action or war circumstances
- Czechoslovakian natives who fled from Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria, or Italy after January 1, 1948
The act provided for the resettlement of approximately 400,000 European refugees.[5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 University of Washington | Bothell – Library, "Displaced Persons Act of 1948," accessed March 14, 2017
- ↑ CQ Researcher, "Displaced Persons," accessed March 14, 2017
- ↑ The American Presidency Project, "Harry S. Truman - Statement by the President Upon Signing the Displaced Persons Act," June 25, 1948
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Refugee Council USA, "History Of The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program," accessed March 14, 2017
