WH Auden

It refers to the conditions experienced by Jews at the time at Hitler and their hardships experienced in finding refuge at a country. As Hitler begun with his racial killing, it was easy for people to become refugees but when war struck, countries became more hesitant to allow them in. This is the time period the poem is set in and this is why the poet is comparing his experiences to such things as the 'poodle in a jacket' - by doing that he is portraying the fact that they don't belong.