“Forgotten Hollywood”- Restrictive Immigration Policy…
Manny P. here…
“`A European family attempt to immigrate to the United States (and also later to Cuba), but their efforts were thwarted by America’s restrictive immigration policies and the outbreak of World War II. Efforts to get the family out of the Netherlands likely started as early as 1938, the turbulent year, which Germany had annexed Austria and part of Czechoslovakia into the Third Reich. On November 9th, Nazis terrorized Jews throughout the country in their violent Kristallnacht, also known as the Night of Broken Glass.
“`On May 14th, 1940, with this family still on the waiting list for possible visas, the American consulate was devastated in a German bombardment, and necessary papers were destroyed. Even without the loss of their visa application, it would have been difficult to immigrate to the United States. With hundreds of thousands of people seeking refuge in the United States each year by the time war broke out in 1939, Washington issued fewer than 30,000 annual visas.
“`The processing of a visa application also lasted several years, and included a huge amount of paper work, such as affidavits from relatives or friends in the United States. Even with the demands fulfilled, applicants could still be turned down. And the war further complicated any immigration efforts. The renewed attempt in 1941 to get the family across the Atlantic failed because American consulates in Germany-occupied Europe, including the Netherlands, were closed by the Nazis.
“`Eventually, Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in Amsterdam on July 6th, 1942; exactly 76 years ago to the day. The family hid for over two years during the war, and it was then that Anne wrote her famous diary. On August 4th, 1944, the Frank’s were discovered and deported to Auschwitz. Only her father, Otto, survived the war. Tragically, Anne and her sister died in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. FRANK FAMILY –>
“`Now, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum feel a timely reminder is necessary in light of a climate of political provincialism sweeping a number of nations across the globe… Restrictive immigration policies are a morally bankrupt ideal.
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Friday, July 6th, 2018 at 2:40 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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