Jewish Immigration to Argentine in 1931

The headquarters office of the Hicem (Hias-Ica-Emigdirekt) here has received official figures from the Argentine Immigration Department with respect to the immigration movement into the country during the period January-April 1931.

The statistics, it is pointed out, are most interesting inasmuch as they reflect the extent of the crisis through which the country is passing at present. In the course of the first four months of this year, 26,701 persons emigrated to the Argentine, compared with 45,276 during the same period in the preceding year. Among them were 1,799 Jews, as compared with 2,819 during the corresponding period of 1930, representing 6.3 per cent. of the total amount of immigration. Jewish immigration to Argentine totalled in January 473; in February 878; in March 253; and in April 195.

The relatively high figure for the month of February is explained by the fact that a large number of emigrants were able, owing to the special action of the Hicem Committees in the countries of emigration and particularly in Poland, to obtain visas for Argentine before January 1st., the date on which the new and greatly raised tariff for the Argentine visa came into force. The greatest part of these emigrants arrived in the Argentine during February.

Otherwise, Jewish immigration, like the general emigration, shows a tendency to decrease from month to month. Statistics concerning general emigration and Jewish emigration from Poland to the Argentine are particularly interesting: Jewish emigration, during the first four months of the preceding year, represented only 25 per cent. of the total emigration; in the same months of the present year Jewish emigration to the Argentine reached 50 per cent. of the total emigration from Poland. 970 emigrants went out from Poland in January, of whom 386 were Jews, in February 1,468, including 822 Jews, in March 373 including 181 Jews, and in April 251 including 138 Jews.

The re-emigration figures, however, reflect significantly the extent of the crisis in the Argentine. In January, re-emigration amounted to 29 per cent. of the immigration; in February to 53 per cent; in March to 95 per cent., and in April to 155 per cent. The corresponding figures for the same period in the preceding year were 25 per cent. in January, 43 per cent. in March, and 78 per cent. in April.

Re-emigration, as usual, is most frequent among the Italians and Spaniards; it is weak among the Poles and almost non-existent among the Jews, the report concludes.