The Immigration Act of 1952

Congress ultimately overrode President Truman's veto and the McCarran-Walter bill became the Immigration and Nationalization Act of 1952. One letter below illustrates attempts by opponents of McCarran-Walter to further debate on the bill prior to the Senate's vote to overturn the President's veto. The other letter illustrates Murray's continuing efforts to oppose certain of the principles behind the Immigration and Nationalization Act of 1952. The letter states Murray's support for what is now known as the Refugee Relief Act of 1953 that called for the admission of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, mainly from Eastern and Southern Europe, that would have otherwise been denied entry by the immigration policies in place at the time. President Dwight Eisenhower signed this law into effect in August 1953.