Attorney General Edward H. Levi has approved parole into the U.S. for 4000 Soviet refugees in Rome, all but 200-300 of whom are Jewish. The refugees left the Soviet Union during the past several months. Although they were eligible for admission to the U.S. they have been required to remain in Rome because there were not enough visa numbers available to them within the limits of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The parole authority was also exercised on behalf of the Soviet refugees in 1973 and 1974.
The approval was accomplished through coordination efforts by the White House, the Justice Department and Congress. According to reports. President Ford was aware of this effort and was “very pleased” by it.
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