"I was involved in facilitating the movement of refugees to the United States and to Iowa in several different ways during the 1970s."

~ Ambassador Kenneth Quinn- ​​​​​​​Ray's Refugee Program Coordinator

 Role in Bringing Refugees to Iowa

     "I was involved in facilitating the movement of refugees to the United States and to Iowa in several different ways during the 1970s. The first came in April 1975 as South Vietnam was collapsing under attack by the Communist North Vietnamese Army. At that time, I was a member of the National Security Council staff at the White House. In that capacity, I acted as interpreter for President Gerald Ford in Vietnamese when he met with a high-level delegation from South Vietnam.  I next traveled to Saigon as part of a special Presidential mission and while there, I was directly involved in making secret arrangements so that individual Vietnamese who were at risk could be helped to escape from the country before the North Vietnamese communist army took over. 

     "Once back in Washington,  I worked with the National Security Advisor to get the President's approval to begin evacuating South Vietnamese civilians from the country. As a result, approximately 130,000 persons were able to be assisted in leaving the country and were then brought to the United States as refugees so they could begin to lead lives in freedom.

     "During 1975 and 1976 all of those refugees were divided up on a proportional basis and resettled in every one of the 50 states. Iowa welcomed about 4,000.  I traveled to Iowa on one occasion to observe the resettlement process and to attend a special ceremony that Governor Robert Ray was holding to ensure that refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and most especially the ethnic Tai Dam people from Laos felt welcome and at home in Iowa. 

     "In 1978, the State Department assigned me to work on the staff of Governor Ray in Des Moines. At that time, many individuals in Vietnam who were desperate to have their children grow up in a free society began escaping from the country on small boats. They would sail out into the South China Sea and try to make it to nearby countries like Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia. Many drowned at sea. Others were robbed and murdered. Tragically, some who made it to land were then pushed back out into the ocean by local officials who were fearful of being overrun with refugees. The problem was that no country in the world, including the United States, was accepting any more refugees from the countries of Indo-China, which included Vietnam. 

     "One night in January 1979, Governor Ray and I were at his office when we watched a TV news report that showed one of those boats filled with innocent 'boat people' refugees being pushed back out into the ocean. We saw the boat break up in the high waves with all of the passengers falling into the raging seas. Many drowned before our eyes. Governor Ray was so very moved by this sight that he immediately wrote to President Jimmy Carter telling him that if he would only reopen America's doors to more refugees, Iowa would double the number of refugees that it had previously resettled. The Governor and I then went to Washington DC and with two other Governors called on the President and the Secretary of State to take action. This lobbying paid off as President Carter issued a decision that the US would now accept 168,000 new refugees per year. The 'Boat People' were saved thanks to Governor Robert Ray's great moral leadership. It was my great honor to work with him on this endeavor."

Iowans’ Reactions to Refugees 

     "Many Iowans, including religious leaders from many faiths, praised Governor Ray and his leadership on behalf of refugees because they called it a life-saving humanitarian effort. Some said that it was in keeping with many of Iowa's great traditions of helping others in need.  However, other Iowans expressed worry that refugees would come and take jobs that Iowans should fill. Some would write letters to Governor Ray stating this concern. The Governor would sometimes phone such individuals who were worried about losing jobs. He would tell them that he had just counted up more than 1,000 ads for jobs that were available in the pages of the Des Moines Register newspaper.  He would tell those individuals to go out and get one of those jobs before any refugees arrived.  His firm moral leadership produced very high support for his efforts in the political polls taken by newspapers."

Diplomatic Process 

     "From 1975 to 1976, the President used what is called the 'parole authority' to admit all of the refugees into the United States. Normally someone who wishes to come to the United States must first go to an embassy and apply for a visa, which would be stamped into their passport. This process can take many weeks or longer. During an emergency situation where several hundred thousand people were being evacuated from a country that was at war, very few of them had passports and none had any way to go to an embassy and apply for a visa.  

     "Understanding that situation, the President authorized the Attorney General at the Department of Justice to grant permission to all of the refugees to enter the United States and to remain here indefinitely under this blanket parole authority. The Department of Health and Human Services of the federal government was responsible for coordinating the process by which the refugees would then be moved to transit facilities on military bases in California, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania. After some time there while taking some basic English lessons and receiving Social Security cards, the refugees were assigned to be resettled in all 50 states. 

     "In each of those states, the federal government contracts with private voluntary organizations, such as Catholic Relief Services or Church World Services to resettle families. This meant that the voluntary organization would ask an American family to be a sponsor who would assist the refugee family in finding housing, getting settled, helping enroll children in school and begin searching for jobs. Iowa Governor Ray was very focused on placing refugees in jobs and avoiding the refugee resettlement program from being seen as a welfare operation." 

Long-Term Impact

     "As a result of Governor Ray's leadership, Iowa acquired a national and international reputation for humanitarian concern for refugees. The fact that the refugees from the three countries of Indo-China were hard-working individuals whose children generally did well in school created a positive image about immigration in general. One other factor that made the refugee process so well supported was that the refugees were fleeing from communism and seeking to live lives in freedom."