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1790
A law was passed defining who could become a citizen if a person was not born here: Citizenship was possible only for someone who was "a free white person" -
Period: to
Heaviest period of immigration
Known as the Heaviest periods of immigration in American History.In 1880-1920 25 million immigrants arrived. Most of them came from the countries of Southern and Eastern Europe - Parts of the world that were unfamiliar with Americans. They saw these new immigrants as very different from themselves. -
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
It stated that no Chinese laborer could enter the United States for 10 years. It was renewed several times, and was in force until WWII. In that conflict China was an American ally and congress repealed the law. -
Quota Act of 1921
Congress set up quotas favoring immigrants from northwestern Europe; the Immigration act of 1924 expands the quota system: Immigration from any country is limited to 2 percent of its total numbers in the 1890 census. -
Immigration Act of 1924
Each countries immigrants were limited to 2 percent of foreign-born residents from that country listed in the U.S Census of 1890. It favored groups that had been in the U.S for a long time. -
Immigration Reform Act of 1965
It abolished the quota system based on national origin. It was divided up into two principles: reunifying families and giving priority to certain skills. It also sets up annual limits: 170,000 immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere and 120,000 from the Western. -
Immigration Reform and Control Act 1986
Purpose was to slow illegal immigration by punishing employers who knowingly hired undocumented immigrants. Second , to offer a way for long term, undocumented illegal immigrants to become legal. -
Immigration Act of 1990
Stated that no country could account for more than 7 percent of total immigrants. The law also considered a persons education and skills. The 1990 law set up special categories for war refuges or close relatives of American Citizens. -
Immigration Reform Act of 1996
In 1996 concerns about the continuing problem of illegal immigration led congress to pass another immigration law. It increased the border patrol staff and stiffened penalties for creating false citizenship papers or smuggling undocumented workers. -
2007
George W. Bush c committed himself to backing a bill to address all immigration issues. The bill would fine undocumented immigrants and required them to fulfill certain obligations before they could apply for citizenship. in June of 2007 the Senate voted the bill down, ending any chance of solving the immigration issue.
