Refugee Relief Act of 1953

Thursday, January 01, 1953

Signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, this Act provided approximately 214,000 visas to European refugees fleeing Communism and 5,000 visas for refugees from East Asia. However, to obtain a visa, refugees had to take several steps including pre-arrange a sponsor as well as employment, pay for their travel, and verify their political history.