Speech #1040192547

Louis as it headed toward Havana. yet when it finally reached its destination the ship was turned away by Cuban authorities. The St. Louis then pleaded with U.S. officials to let the nearly 1.000 refugees enter America. yet the U.S. denied the ship permission to land and denied entry visas to the refugees. In June 1939. the ship turned around and returned to Europe. Fortunately for those on board the St. Louis. the countries of Great Britain. France. the Netherlands and Belgium agreed to accept the Jewish refugees. although this blessing would be brief and mixed. The following year. in 1940. German forces occupied the region. Many of the passengers aboard the St Louisthose same passengers America turned awaywere dealt the cruelest of fates. Many were subjected in their new homelands to the same horrors from which they had fledthe full wrath of the Holocaust--ghettos. concentration camps. deportations and death chambers. Fear. prejudice and Ignorance allowed America to turn its back on those who sought refuge here in May 1939. with the most tragic of outcomes. America is supposed to be a haven for those oppressed by other nations. It is supposed to be the land of hope and opportunity. Ours Is a country that welcomes those who want to come here. contribute to society. and live the American dream. It is regrettable that we as a nation have been unable to respond to the severe problems of illegal immigration in a sensible. meaningful way. It would be just as regrettable to gut a rich heritage of providing safe harbor for those who seek to come here legally because we cannot deal with a failed illegal immigration policy. As a nation. we must take full responsibility for our generosity in welcoming others to our land. and full responsibility when that generosity backfires or fails. In separating legal from illegal immigration reform. we have our best chance to answer that call to responsibility. Just as we should not reward those who refuse to make a difference as Americans. we should not punish those who come here and strive to do so. Throughout history. legal immigrants have enriched our economy and the goodness of our country. We will never know what kind of productive lives those aboard the St. Louis might have led on American soil because we did not give them the chance. It is a shame we will always bear. Legislative action or inaction in Europe and the United States contributed greatly to a tragedy we cannot repeat. Ours Is a country made up of immigrants. and the rich tapestry we enjoy is because so many people. Including many of our own grandparents and greatgrandparents. had the hear and the will to come here. More importantly. the United States had the heart and the will to welcome them. and it is not something to relinquish now.