Why did the US refuse political asylum to the Jewish people aboard the MS St Louis?

Answer 1

At the time there was no right to asylum in the modern sense, and refugees had to enter the U.S. (and most other countries) as ordinary immigrants under the usual Immigration procedures. Since the early 1920s immigration to the U.S. had been strictly controlled with quotas for the number of people to be admitted from each country, and these quotas (or maxima) were rigidly enforced. Anyone wishing to migrate to the U.S. had to have prior permission, within the quota, to enter the country. The passengers on the St Louis did not meet these requirements. They had originally expected to land in Cuba. There were some attempts to get extra quotas for refugees from Germany, but these attempts got nowhere. It is generally held that antisemtism was a significant factor, in the background, anyway.

Answer 2

The US authorities at the time were concerned about potential economic strain and political backlash from accepting a large number of refugees. There were also xenophobic and antisemitic sentiments prevalent in some sectors of American society. Ultimately, the US government chose not to grant asylum, and the ship was forced to return to Europe, where many of the passengers ended up in countries eventually occupied by Nazi Germany.