The first steps for the dispersal of the 900 refugees in the Government’s Emergency Shelter at Oswego, N.Y. and their resettlement throughout the country as quota immigrants were announced today by Joseph E. Beck, executive director of the National Refugee Service.
The entire resettlement program is the responsibility of NRS, Mr. Beck pointed out. The agency, as principal organization for assistance to refugees in the United States, has been authorized by the Government to issue a corporate affidavit as the basis for visa applications by the Oswego refugees, he disclosed. This was done in order to facilitate the process of issuing visas to those who qualify for permanent immigrant status.
Preparations for resettlement of the group were made in advance by NRS, which got in touch with their American relatives and friends and with its cooperating committee in many cities and towns all over the country. Many local committees, Mr. Beck said, have already agreed to accept small groups for resettlement in their communities, to find quarters for them with kinsmen or friends without complicating housing problems, and to aid in their economic and social adjustment to American life. Those refugees who do not have American relatives or friends will be resettled in the larger communities with local cooperation. Completion of the dispersal of the Oswego group is expected to take several weeks.
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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.