Restrictions on Immigration:

 

Chinese Exclusion Act 1882:

     began the prohibition of Chinese

           immigration

     passed due to riots and trouble on West

           Coast

     lasted until WWII

 

Gentleman’s Agreement 1907:

     promise by Japanese government to deny

           Japanese laborers passports

     caused by anti-Japanese race riots on

           West coast

     local and state laws discriminated against

           the Japanese on West Coast

     in 1924, Congress ended it by prohibiting

           ALL Japanese immigration

 

Literacy Test Act 1917:

     required immigrants to be able to read

           English or their native tongue

     passed over President Wilson’s veto

 

 

Isolationism after WWI reinforced anti-immigration feelings

 

Emergency Immigration Acts 1921 and 1924:

     sharply curtailed immigration from outside

     the Western hemisphere

 

National Origins Plan 1929:

     permitted no more than 150,000  total

           immigrants per year from areas

           outside the Western hemisphere

     allotted each country a quota in proportion         to the number of persons in the US

           having that national origin according to

           the 1920 census

     granted each eligible nation at least 100

           immigrants per year

     placed no limits on immigration from

           Western hemisphere

     prohibited all immigration from Asian

           countries

 

After World War Two many people fled Nazism and Communism in Europe

 

McCarran-Walter Immigration and Nationality Act 1952:

     restated the National Origins Plan

     set limit of 154,000 immigrants per year

     each country recevied a quota based on

           1920 census

     allowed each Asian nation a quota (100

           per year)

     required the screening of immigrants to

           minimize security risks

     made it easier to revoke the citizenship of

           recently nationalized citizens if they

           joined pro-Communist organizations

 

Immigration Act 1965 (revised in 1976):

     abolished National Origins Plan

     established quota of 170,000 per year

     limited to 20,000 per year per country

     created preferences for admission:

           close relatives of U.S. citizens

           skilled and educated people

           unskilled labor for labor shortages

           refugees from Communism

     For nations in the Western hemispere:

           limit of 120,000 per year; 1976 made

           the same preferences as above

 

This changed the way quotas were determined from a race or nationality based system to one that looked at family relationship, value to the US, and motives

 

Refugee Act of 1980:

     defined refugees as people outside their

           native country who fear returning

           because of persecution

     increased the number of refugees to

           50,000 annually (besides the

           programs for IndoChinese and

           Cubans)

     gave president the authority to admit

           more refugees in emergency

           situations

     created the position of US Coordinator of

           Refugee Affairs

 

 

 

 

 

Immigration Reform and Control Act 1986:

     barred employers from hiring illegal

           immigrants with stiff penalties

     made it illegal to discriminate against

           immigrants

     offered amnesty to illegal immigrants that

           had lived in the US since January

           1982

     offered amnesty for immigrants that had

           worked for 90 days in the preceding

           year

     provided for eventual citizenship for those

           who were given amnesty

     allowed up to 350,000 seasonal farm

           workers in fiscal years 1990-3

     gave money to states to aid people who

           were granted amnesty

 

The purpose of the law was to curb the growing problem of illegal immigration

 

 

 

 

 

Immigration Act of 1990:

     Increased number of legal immigrants to

           700,000 per year (changed to 675,000

           in 1995)

     Favored family members and skilled

           workers

     Reduced number of low skill workers

           allowed

     Some visas were allotted to people who

           were adversely affected by the 1965

           law

     Eased restrictions based on political

           beliefs, sexual preference, and

           serious illness