Our current policy of taking in people fleeing persecution was sparked by WWII. In 1939, the U.S. notoriously turned away a boat of nearly 1,000 Jews escaping Nazi Germany. More than 1/4 of those refugees were later killed. projects.propublica.org/asylum/#how-as…2/ So during WWII, our doors — so to speak — were largely closed. As were the doors of many other countries. The reason? National security concerns.
