Speech #1010116552

We do not want to repeat. in a lesser form. the egregious mistakes made when the United States closed its doors to victims of the Holocaust during World War II. Instead of welcoming Jews seeking refuge in this country. the U.S. Government resisted efforts to ease rigid immigration laws and increase the number of Jewish refugees permitted to enter. A bill that would have allowed 20.000 German Jewish children to enter the United States outside the quota was defeated in 1941. Other bills and appeals to the administration to permit refugees to enter by mortgaging future quotas and to open Alaska to them met the same fate. The State Department Imposed even more complicated and timeconsuming procedures on applications for visas. In the mid1940s. when precious unused visas would have saved lives. the official in charge recommended putting "every obstacle in the way" and suggested various administrative devices that would "postpone and postpone and postpone the granting of visas." Fortunately. some refugees were granted admission between 1934 and 1941. Among these were a brilliant army of refugee scientists. writers. artists. and scholars including Albert Einstein. Ernst Simmel. Erich Fromm. Erik Erikson. and Herbert Marcuse. Although we cannot correct the egregious errors that the United States has made in past Immigration policies. we can prevent future suffering and death. I urge my colleagues to show that we have learned the tragic lessons of history and to act before thousands more fall victim to the treacherous hand of oppresslon. I urge my colleagues to vote to override President Bushs veto of H.R. 2712 and provide the endangered Chinese students with guaranteed protection.