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End of World War II
On this date, Japan surrenders to President Truman bringing an end to World War II -
Truman Directive on Displaced Persons
In an attempt to relieve human misery and help rebuild European nations, President Truman facilitates the entrance of nearly 40,000 refugees with this first ever legislation, which ultimately allowed the admittance of nearly 700,000 refugees. This Act expired at the end of 1952. -
Jewish Refugees
Nazi aggression forced Jewish residents to seek safety in the US and the original acceptance of refugees by Truman was not enough. With help from the American Jewish Community, Congress passed legislation to admit 400,000 more displaced persons with nearly 80,000 of them Jewish. This was a turning point in American immigration policy. -
Refugee Relief Act
Originally called the Emergency Migration Act, this legislation replaced the Displaced Persons Act of 1948. The Act defines a refugee as people who " lack "the essentials of life." It also set admission criteria - refugees were required to provide evidence of a guarantee of a home and job by a U.S. resident. Nearly 215,000 refugees were granted placement by the end of this Act in 1956. -
Cuban Refugees
The "Cuban Exile" refers to the Cubans who fled the island of Cuba. After Communist, Fidel Castro took over Cuba, many people fled in fear of widespread reprisals. These people were seeking political asylum. Other people wanted better economic conditions. There were multiple waves of a large amount of people and now Cubans are living all over the United States. -
Vietnamese Boat People
Asian refugees more than quadrupled after the signing of the Hart-Cellar Act, especially the Vietnamese after the Vietnam War. Nearly 2 million Vietnamese left their country between the years of 1975-1995. -
1980 Refugee Act
The 1980 Refugee Act defined what it meant to be a refugee and established a resettlement program that still exists to this day. It also raised the amount of refugees allowed per fiscal year from 17,400 to 50,000. This Act was signed by President Jimmy Carter. This Act has allowed for more than 3 million refugees to legally enter the United States. -
Soviet Jews
The U.S. has had an open policy to Jews for a long time. The policy continued as Soviets opened their borders. The Lautenberg Amendment of 1989 granted refugee status to Jews from the former Soviet Union without having to prove specific persecution. -
Lautenberg Amendment
Named after Frank Lautenberg, this law, created originally to help assist Soviet Jews in their path to the United States, also ended up helping refugees from Iran, Vietnam, and Cambodia. -
Former Yugoslavia
In the mid 1990's, the United States started resettling refugees from Bosnia during the Civil War of Yugoslavia. The U.S. had the foreign policy of emphasizing "humanitarian" rather than "military,". There are about 169,000 refugees in the United States now. -
Young Cuban Refugee
Elian Gonzalez, 5, was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard in waters off Miami. The boy, his mother, her boyfriend, and 14 other Cubans had attempted to flee Cuba in a small aluminum motorboat. Gonzalez, who floated on an inner tube for two days before he was found, is one of three survivors. -
Myanmar Refugees
Although many Burmese people starting fleeing to the US in the early 1990s during the height of power of the Karen National Union, 2006 to 2009, marked a time of the largest influx. Many of these people had been living in camps on the Thai border for a decade or longer where they had been victims of a civil war. They saw years of torture, rape, and abuse of children. The U.S. has resettled more than 104,000 Myanmar refugees to date. -
Refugees from Iraq
The U.S. had admitted less than 1,000 Iraq refugees since the beginning of the war. By 2008, large waves of Iraq refugees had been accepted because of growing outrage in America. Many people are critical of this because people claim it is too bureaucratic to help vulnerable refugees. -
Syrian Refugees
The Syrian Civil War is one of the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. Over 11 million Syrians have been killed or forced to flee their homes. Thousands are choosing to flee the country every day. More than half of all refugees are underage. Only about 2,290 Syrians have been allowed to enter the United States at this point because of national security issues but it is a very highly debated topic and could likely change in the near future.
