On August 7, 1953, President Eisenhower signed the Refugee Relief Act of 1953, also known as the Emergency Migration Act, into law to provide relief for certain refugees, orphans, and other purposes. This act was mainly intended for people from Southern Europe barred due to the numerical limits from the quotas under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, widely known as the McCarran-Walter Act.
The Refugee Relief Act of 1953 was the United States' second refugee admissions and resettlement law, following the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, which expired at the end of 1952. Under this act, 214,000 immigrants were admitted to the United States, including 60,000 Italians, 17,000 Greeks, 17,000 Dutch, and 45,000 immigrants from communist countries. The act was designed to aid those fleeing European Communist countries, like the Soviet Union and Eastern Germany.
History
In the 1950s, the United States encouraged people to leave European Communist countries. Since the McCarran-Walter Act (1952) did not include provisions for refugees as a general category, the policy continued to be carried out by way of impromptu measures. Moreover, many people thought that the McCarran-Walter Act was unjust and inadequate in coping with the problem of refugees. Hence, the Refugee Relief Act of 1953 was enacted in August 1953 and expired in 1956 to circumnavigate the low quotas for people's respective countries.
Senator Arthur V. Watkins of Utah was the original author of this act. Later, Senator Pat McCarran (D-Nev.) renamed the bill. At McCarran's discretion, there were multiple provisions, complicating the determination of eligibility of applicants. These amendments required prospective refugees to undergo a thorough security screening, including a verifiable history of their activities for two years prior to application. The final form of the Refugee Relief Act provided a token redemption of Eisenhower's administration, promising more liberal immigration policy and avoiding the complications of the McCarran-Walter Act.
The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 221 to 185, with the support of most Democrats and an even split among Republicans. The bill later passed the United States Senate on a voice vote, with Senator McCarran opposing. On August 7, 1953, President Eisenhower signed the act into law. In a statement about signing the Refugee Act of 1953, President Eisenhower stated that "In enacting this legislation, we are giving a new chance in life to 214,000 fellow humans. This action demonstrates again America’s traditional concern for the homeless, the persecuted and the less fortunate of other lands. It is a dramatic contrast to the tragic events taking place in East Germany and in other captive nations". Overall, the President viewed this emergency immigration legislation as a significant humanitarian act that would contribute toward a greater understanding and better cooperation between free nations of the world.
Provisions of the Law
The Refugee Relief Act of 1953 intended to help refugees escape from Communist persecution, natural disaster, and military operations by allowing them to come into the United States as immigrants. Furthermore, the act also addressed the problems resulting from population pressures in Italy, Greece, and Netherlands by extending immigration to relatives of American citizens and permanent resident aliens. Another main focus of this act was including immigration of orphans and permitting certain aliens already in the United States as nonimmigrants to become permanent residents of the United States. In short, the Refugee Relief Act of 1953 permitted 214,000 immigrants without being subject to the quota limitations under the McCarran-Walter Act.