New York Times Supports Plan for “free Ports” in American for Refugees

Support for the plan to establish “free ports” in the United States for refugees in order to save as many Jews from occupied Europe as possible, is given today by the New York Times in an editorial which urges that the War Refugee Board be the agency to carry out this plan.

“When the idea of ‘free ports’ in this country for war refugees was brought up in Washington recently there seemed to be two possible objections to it, one good and one bad,” the editorial says. “The first objection was that it would be inhuman to establish what might be regarded as concentration camps for refugees we were not willing to admit. The second was that some of these refugees might eventually get into the country, beyond the restrictions of the quota law. A study of the situation indicates that neither argument is valid. A refugee brought, say, to Ellis Island and there comfortably housed and fed and treated with consideration, would be in heaven compared with the same person in Germany or Rumania. As for the danger of refugees escaping into the United States from their places of detention, this is hardly a menace to the safety of the Republic. We take this risk with our captive enemies. Why not with our luckless friends?

“The War Refugee Board, as its director, John W. Pehle, has indicated, would be a logical agency to carry out the ‘free port’ plan. Perhaps Army camps, vacated as the peak of training passes, could be used. After the war some of the refugees might safely return to their countries of origin. Other might find homes in other countries where immigrants might be needed and welcomed. Still others could in time be admitted regularly to the United States. The plan has nothing to do with unrestricted and uncontrolled immigration. It is simply a proposal to save the lives of innocent people,” the editorial concludes.