Displaced Persons Act

Displaced Persons Act of 1948

Long title	An act to authorize for a limited period of time the admission into the United States of certain European displaced persons for permanent residence, and for other purposes
Enacted by	the 80th United States Congress
Effective	June 25, 1948
Citations
Public law	80-774
Statutes at Large	62 Stat. 1009, Chapter 647
Codification
Titles amended	50 U.S.C.: War and National Defense
U.S.C. sections amended	Appendix - Civilian Protection from War Hazards - Admission of Displaced Persons § 1951 - 1965
Legislative history
Introduced in the Senate as S. 2242 Committee consideration by United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Passed the Senate on May 27, 1948 (40-33) Reported by the joint conference committee on June 2, 1948; agreed to by the Senate on June 2, 1948 (63-13) and by the House on June 18, 1948 (133-266) Signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on June 25, 1948

The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 (Pub.L. 80–774)^[1] authorized for a limited period of time the admission into the United States of certain European displaced persons for permanent residence, and for other purposes after World War II.^[2][3]

The United States Statutes at Large 62 Stat. 1009 was signed into law by the thirty-third President of the United States Harry Truman on June 25, 1948.^[4]

Proclamations of the Act

Eligible displaced person - any displaced person or refugee as defined by Annex I of the Constitution of the International Refugee Organization.^[5] A displaced person is eligible for admission to the United States given the conditions on or after September 1, 1939 and on or before December 22, 1945.

• Entered Germany, Austria, or Italy
• Resided in the American sector of Italy
• Resided in the British sector or French sector of Berlin or Vienna
• Resided in the American zone, British zone, or French zone of Germany or Austria
• A victim of persecution by the Nazi government whereas such persons were detained or obliged to flee persecution from Nazi perpetrators and subsequently returned to any of the aforementioned countries as a result of enemy action and of war circumstances.
• Native of Czechoslovakia who fled from persecution or fear of persecution from that country and any of the aforementioned countries since January 1, 1948.

Immigration visas - limitations of visa quotas for eligible displaced persons as authorized by the Act

• Immigration visas shall not exceed two hundred thousand for the first two years from the date the Act is passed by the U.S. 80th Congress.
• Two thousand visas may be issued without regard to quota limitations to eligible displaced persons as quota immigrants.
• Eligible displaced orphans may be issued special non-quota immigration visas whereby issuance shall not exceed three thousand.

Displaced Persons Commission

The Displaced Persons Commission was created with the enactment of the U.S. Senate S. 2242 bill. The Commission provided oversight of the U.S. displaced persons organization from June 25, 1948 through August 31, 1952.^[6]

During the four years of the Commission legislative oversight, President Truman issued Executive Orders petitioning the Commission for investigative reports concerning the activities of the U.S. displaced persons affairs.^[7][8]

References

1. Sarah Starkweather. "US immigration legislation online". University of Washington, Bothell Library. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
2. "Displaced Persons Act (United States) (1948)". Encyclopedia of Immigration. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
3. "1948 Displaced Persons Act". US immigration legislation online. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
4. Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Harry S. Truman: "142 - Statement by the President Upon Signing the Displaced Persons Act" June 25, 1948". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
5. "Constitution of the International Refugee Organization". The Avalon Project - Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy. Lillian Goldman Law Library - Yale University. December 15, 1946. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
6. Peters,Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Harry S. Truman: "Executive Order 10382 - Providing for the Liquidation of the Affairs of the Displaced Person's Commission" August 9, 1952". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
7. Peters,Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Harry S. Truman: "Executive Order 10003 - Providing for the Investigation of and Report on Displaced Persons Seeking Admission Into the United States" October 4, 1948". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
8. Peters,Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Harry S. Truman: "Executive Order 10131 - Providing for the Investigation of and Report on Displaced Pesons and Persons of German Ethnic Origin Seeking Admission Into the United States" June 16, 1950". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara. Retrieved May 20, 2013.

External links

• "Title 50, Appendix - War and National Defense" (PDF). U.S. House of Representatives - Office of the Law Revision Counsel. pp. 183–184.
• "Title 50a, Title 50, Appendix - War and National Defense - Civilian Protection from War Hazards". Cornell University.