The Refugee Relief Act of 1953

A Cold War law that admitted refugees and escapees from Communist Europe.

Beyond the quotas

The Refugee Relief Act of 1953 authorized about 200,000 visas outside the regular immigration quotas, mainly for refugees and escapees from Communist countries and for people displaced in Europe.

A step toward a system

Like the Displaced Persons Act, it addressed one crisis at a time. A permanent system would not come until the Refugee Act of 1980.