In the aftermath of World War II millions of people became refugees and displaced persons, all immigrants desiring safety. Of these people five million people remained in Europe in refugee camps, exiled from their homelands. Much immigration came from DP camps. Some were Jewish survivors from the concentration camps, many were soviet citizens who were displaced by war, others were people who were used as slave labor also displaced by war. There were also seven million people, men and women, living in Germany who had been moved to the German Reich as slave laborers or prisoners. The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), however, took care of these people. This organization was only temporary though. Thus, afterward the International Refugee Organization (IRO) took care of these Displaced Persons. Almost six million DPs were sent home. Yet there still remained many stationed in camps waiting for a country to take them in.
The biggest dilemma with the problem of DPs was the question where to put the people who could not be repatriated back to their homeland. However, by 1948 many countries began opening their doors to these people in need. These countries accepting emigration were Argentina who accepted 5,000, Australia who took in a few thousand, Belgium who had accepted nearly 20,000, Brazil who took 7,000, Canada who took 2,000 and was preparing to take on 25 thousand more, England who took 17,000 from the camps and 250,000 soldiers from the Polish army as well as their families, and Venezuela who took 4,000. However, from all these countries the U.S. was still not accepting any.
Thus the United States was awfully late in accepting displaced persons. This lack of not providing help led to a considerable call for activism. The United States was now ready to take action for a change in policy. Earl G. Harrison, an American attorney, had reported conditions of the camps to President Truman waiting for a response in action. He also led the Citizens Committee on Displaced Persons. The purpose of this committee was to help get the government to help support a temporary suspension of immigration quotas and help allow displaced persons to enter into the United States. Thus President Truman finally took initiation regarding the concept whether the U.S. should open itself up to immigration for refugees. He signed the first DP act on June 25, 1948, allowing about 200,000 DPs. Later on he made a second act letting 200,000 more to enter the U.S. his hope to relocate some of Europe’s DPs came true. The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 admitted more than 700,000 refugees between 1946 and 1950. The majority of refugees taken in came from countries that had fallen under Communist grasp by the end of the Second World War. Even though the United States has finally opened up its doors to refugees by 1953, over 250,000 refugees were still in Europe. Many of them were burdened by age, handicap or sickness. Many of them came to find resolution by suicide.
