IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1401 
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Azorean Refugee Act of 1958 
and celebrating the extensive contributions of Portuguese-American com-
munities to the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 31, 2008 
Mr. COSTA (for himself, Mr. NUNES, Mr. CARDOZA, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. 
FRANK of Massachusetts, and Mr. MCGOVERN) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Azorean Ref-
ugee Act of 1958 and celebrating the extensive contribu-
tions of Portuguese-American communities to the United 
States. 
Whereas from September 27, 1957, until October 24, 1958, 
a series of violent eruptions and earthquakes that 
amounted to a natural calamity destroyed the economic 
infrastructure in Faial Island, Portugal, and impacted all 
of the 9 islands in the Azores archipelago; 
Whereas most of Faial Island’s 25,000 people lost their liveli-
hoods in the midst of fumes, smoke, lava, and constant 
earthquakes, and had no choice but to escape to other is-
lands in the Azores; 
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•HRES 1401 IH 
Whereas the United States offered a helping hand to the dis-
tressed people of the Azores by introducing and passing 
the Azorean Refugee Act, spearheaded by Senators John 
Pastore of Rhode Island and John F. Kennedy of Massa-
chusetts, which became Public Law 85–892; 
Whereas the Azorean Refugee Act made 1,500 special 
nonquota immigrant visas available to the destitute vic-
tims of the Capelinhos Volcano in the Azores, and was 
extended until 1962 to allow the entry of an even greater 
number of refugees; 
Whereas the eruption of the Capelinhos Volcano led to a wave 
of Portuguese immigration that brought more than 
175,000 Azoreans to the United States between 1960 
and 1980; 
Whereas according to the United States Census from the 
year 2000, there were 1,176,615 Portuguese-Americans 
in the United States, and the vast majority of these were 
of Azorean descent; 
Whereas major communities of Portuguese-Americans of 
Azorean descent can be found in southeastern New Eng-
land; the areas around San Francisco, San Diego, and 
the San Joaquin Valley, California; Hawaii; and the New 
Jersey/New York metropolitan area; 
Whereas these recent immigrants have built on the work ini-
tiated by earlier arrivals, and through their remarkable 
work ethic have, among other activities, distinguished 
themselves in farming and fishing; 
Whereas by the 1970s, roughly half of all dairy farms in the 
San Joaquin Valley were owned and operated by Por-
tuguese-Americans and contributed to making California 
the number one dairy producing State in the Nation; 
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•HRES 1401 IH 
Whereas the Portuguese of the American east coast have 
dominated the fishing industry, and contributed to mak-
ing New Bedford, Massachusetts, one of our Nation’s 
greatest seaports; 
Whereas Portuguese immigrants and their descendants have 
contributed substantially to American workforce, leader-
ship, and culture, and produced successful physicians, 
lawyers, and university professors; 
Whereas in the public sector, Portuguese-Americans have be-
come legislators at the local, State, and Federal level, 
state attorney generals, justices, judges, and successful 
lawyers, and are members of school committees and 
boards, as well as city councils; 
Whereas as the governor of California, Ronald Reagan pro-
claimed the 2nd week of March as Portuguese Immigrant 
Week in 1969; and 
Whereas President John F. Kennedy recognized that immi-
grants coming from the Azores had made excellent con-
tributions to our Nation as citizens: Now, therefore, be 
it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 
Azorean Refugee Act of 1958; 
(2) celebrates the Azorean Refugee Act of 1958 
as worthy and admirable legislation that represented 
America at its finest, reaching out to people in need; 
and 
(3) recognizes the momentous contributions of 
Portuguese immigrants and their descendants to the 
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•HRES 1401 IH 
United States, who have so greatly enriched our Na-
tion. 
Æ 
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