The plight of the passengers of the German transatlantic ship MS St. Louis is a good example of the fallout of U.S. immigration policies. On Saturday, May 13, 1939, 937 passengers boarded the MS St. Louis in an attempt to escape persecution and start a new life, first in Cuba and ultimately in the United States. Almost all were Jews fleeing the Third Reich. Most were German citizens, some were from Eastern Europe, and a few were officially stateless.
