The Government has introduced a number of bills into Parliament placing restrictions on entry of Jewish refugees and on the activities of resident refugees. One of the bills, it was learned, would curb the right of refugees to engage in retail business.
Pending passage of the legislation, the Government has taken measures to halt Jewish immigration. Jewish immigrants are forbidden to remain in Santiago, but must proceed to the interior. The latest group of Jewish refugees to arrive in Chile were first barred from landing, but were later admitted after intervention by a friendly nation.
The Government’s action followed the report of an official commission investigating alleged abuses in immigration which charged “undeniable existence of fraud in many cases.” Several persons accused of utilizing the desperate situation of European Jews for their own gain by taking advantage of Chile’s liberal immigration laws have been arrested and face Government prosecution.
Several Chilean newspapers criticized the commission’s report as being “tendentious.” Rightist newspapers used the report as a springboard for anti-Jewish agitation. Jewish newspapers said the report was anti-Semitic and violated the fundamental precepts of Chile’s Constitution.
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