Refugees in Shanghai Charge U.S. Consulate is Preventing Their Reaching Latin America

More than 50 Jewish refugees here who were in possession of valid immigration visas for various Latin American countries lost their chance to settle in the lands to which they were seeking entry as a result of the refusal of the American Consulate in Shanghai to grant U.S. transit visas to Jews holding visas to countries in Central and South America.

The refugees’ visas expired while they were awaiting action by the consulate, About 300 other Jews with Latin American visas will likewise be affected if the consulate continues its present policy. The consulate says the delay is due to the fact that even transit visas must be approved by Washington and because it has inadequate personnel to handle the visa applications.

The majority of the refugees applied for the transit visas as far back as five months ago. Some of them submitted their applications ten months ago. They question the explanations of the consulate, and point to the fact that the consulate has readily issued transit visas to non-refugees.

Should the consulate continue to delay issuance of transit permits, most of the 300 Latin American immigration visas will become invalid within about three months. A large number of the refugees are holders of valid Polish and Czechoslovakia passports. Many of them are in possession of written assurances by the Joint Distribution Committee that their passage from the landing port of San Francisco to their countries of destination in Latin American is guaranteed.

All the applicants were confined during the war in the ghetto which the Japanese occupation authorities established for Jews in Shanghai. Their position is still precarious, and their only hope of starting life anew is to reach the countries for which they have visas.