Like most other countries, the United States did not welcome Jewish refugees from Europe. In 1939, 83% of Americans were opposed to the admission of refugees. Right in the middle f the great depression, many feared the burden that immigrants could place on the nation’s economy; refugees, in most cases were prevented from bringing any money or assets with them, were an even greater cause for concern. Indeed, as early as 1930, President Herbert Hoover reinterpreted immigration legislation barring those to include even those immigrants who were capable of working, reasoning that high unemployment would make it impossible for immigrants to find jobs.
