Americans and the Holocaust: The Failure of American Immigration Policies

Americans and the Holocaust: The Failure of American Immigration Policies
While America could not have stopped the Holocaust, the country did have the capacity to mitigate its impact by allowing more refugees to immigrate before joining the global conflict in 1941. What did Americans know about the growing Nazi threat? What options did refugees have for emigrating to the United States—and what were the barriers to immigration? This program examines the laws, attitudes, and decisions that shaped America’s response to the refugee crisis, including the role of antisemitism, discrimination, and fear of immigrants.

This program is offered by MCHE in partnership with Seward County Community College in support of the USHMM exhibit Americans and the Holocaust.