The United States was urged to liberalize its immigration laws in a number of appeals made here last night by speakers at the third national conference of American supporters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, attended by 2,200 delegates. The appeals were made by Harry N. Rosenfield, member of the U.S. Displaced Persons Commission; Dr. Isaac Lewin, leader of the Agudas Israel Organization, and Congressman Emanuel Celler.
Mr. Rosenfield pointed out that the present immigration laws admit up to 154,000 immigrants a year under regular quotas. He emphasized that he personally favors admitting 100,000 to 200,000 a year above quotas.
Dr. Lewin urged the liberalization of immigrant requirements for refugees from countries behind the Iron Curtain. He drew attention to the fact that various governments had recently begun to consider Germans from the Baltic countries and the Sudentland as real refugees while the refugees from Eastern Europe have been “neglected.” He urged that the Germans who are now in Germany should be given no priority whatever for admission to the United States.
Mr. Celler said he would reintroduce a bill in Congress to pool unused immigration quotas for the benefit of persons from countries who might otherwise have to “wait as long as ten to forty years for an open quota.” He also proposed use of the 1950 census as basis of national-origin quotas, instead of the 1920 census.
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