A series of conferences are now being held between representatives of the State Department and of the National Refugee Service for the purposes of clarifying the new immigration regulations, it was disclosed by Albort Abrahamson, executive director of the N.R.S., in his quarterly report issued today. The conferences also and to insure “the most expeditious service possible not only to refugees but to American citizen relatives and friends acting on their behalf.”
The report, which marks the completion of two years of activities on the part of the National Refugee Service, stresses the new difficulties resulting from the closing of American consulates in Germany, Italy and the occupied countries, the centralization of initial affidavit review in Washington, and the regulation denying immigration visas to applicants with relatives residing in occupied territory. However, it points out that “the new regulations are not designed to prevent, and will not prevent, a continued flow of refugees to the United States.”
Mr. Abrahamson disclosed that transportation remains the chief obstacle facing the refugees. However, he stated, that as long as Lisbon remains an open port 2,000 to 3,000 refugees will continue to arrive each month. Should Lisbon be closed, he revealed, rescue emphasis would probably shift to Shanghai, where 22,000 refugees are temporarily quartered.
Reporting that the $2,000,000 allotment granted to the National Refugee Service by the United Jewish Appeal will last through August, Mr. Abrahsmson declared that continuance of N.R.S. beyond that point depends on an additional allocation from the United Jewish Appeal.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
