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Immigration to America Begins
The first colony in Jamestown, Virginia was settled beginning a wave of British settlements. -
Alien Naturalizaton Act
The first Alien Naturalization Act is created, providing rules for immigrants to gain citizenship. -
Declaration of Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American war begins, later leading to an important change in the Mexican border. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
This treaty ended the war and gave the U.S. control of most of the current American Southwest which included Texas, Nevada, Arizona, parts of Utah, and California. -
Gadsden Purchase
This purchase gave the U.S. control of the southern parts of Arizona as well as New MExico. This further changed the Mexico border, forcing many Mexican citizens to be controlled by America. -
Immigration regulation
Congress gains more power over immigration in this act. -
Ellis Island Opens
The graet immigration station, Ellis Island, officially opens. -
Angel Island Opens
The "Ellis Island of the West" opened in 1910, creating a flood of Chinese immigrants. -
Meixcan Revolution
Events of the Mexican Revolution drive many mexican immigrants across the border, creating the first major wave of Mexican immigration into the Southwest states. -
U.S. Border Patrol Created
Congress passes the Labor Appropriation Act of 1924, officially establishing a U.S. Border Patrol that secures the border and establishes inspection stations. -
Japenese Internment
President Franklin D. Roosevelt passes Executive Order 9066, ordering all people of Japenese decent living on the West Coast to be moved to internment camps. This created a lasting stigma of all immigrants that still contributes to attitudes toward immigration today. -
Bracero Program
The Bracero Program allowed importing Mexican laborers for a temporary time period to America for labor work. -
Bracero Program Ends
The end of the Bracero Program comes, but immigratns still keep coming for labor opportunities. -
World Trade Center Attacks
The major terrorist attacks in New York City prompted President Bush to increase contruction of Mexican/American barriers and made the entire country incredibly wary of all outsiders. -
Arizona passes new immigration law
Jan Brewer signs the infamous SB10-070 into law.