Speech #1100201383

Representatives NUNES and COSTA. H. Res. 1438 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Azorean Refugee Act of 1958. and celebrates the extensive contributions of PortugueseAmerican communities to the United States. From September 27. 1957. until October 24. 1958. a series of violent disruptions and earthquakes destroyed the infrastructure of Faial Island. in Portguals Azores archipelago. and impacted the other eight islands in the Azores as well. The majority of the Faial Islands 25.000 people lost their livelihoods in the midst of fumes. smoke. lava and constant earthquakes. and had no choice but to escape to other islands in the Azores. The United States. as we so often have in crises of these magnitudes. offered a helping hand to the distressed people of the region through the Azorean Refugee Act. This was spearheaded by Senators John Pastore of Rhode Island and John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts. The Azorean Refugee Act made 1.500 special nonquota Immigrant visas available to the destitute victims of the Capelinhos Volcano in the Azores. It was later extended to allow entry of an even greater number of refugees. As a result. more than 175.000 Azoreans came to the United States between 1960 and 1980. The 2000 census placed the total number of Portuguese Americans at 1.176.615. The vast majority of these are of Azorean descent. The communities founded by those immigrants can be found in southeastern New England. the areas around San Francisco. San Diego. and San Joaquin Valley. California. Hawaii. and the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area. In a very short period of time. these immigrants have built on the accomplishments of earlier arrivals. Through their remarkable work ethic. they have distinguished themselves in innumerable fields of endeavor. especially in farming and fishing. By the 1970s. roughly half of all of the dairy farms In the San Joaquin Valley were owned and operated by Portuguese Americans. helping to make California the number one dairyproducing State in the Nation.