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The Irish were the first Catholics to arrive in a Protestant nation.
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While the US expanded, many European countries had lost color-- many were unable to make a living due to the implications of the Industrial Revolution and a blight that led to damage to potato crops.
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The Chinese came to the US, recruited for the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The Japanese also came because the government allowed them to emigrate-- the surge of Asian immigrants led to "yellow peril" and lobbying for restriction of Asian immigrants.
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While the majority of immigrants during this period were South and East Europeans, their usage of different languages and cultures led to the rise of anti-immigration forces in Congress.
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prohibition of Chinese workers from entering the US
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Due to the opposition of business leaders, legislation for the requirement of literary tests for immigrants was vetoed by presidents Cleveland through Wilson.
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Roosevelt's persuasion to Japan to return to restrictions on emigration
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Congress overruled Wilson's veto to make literacy an entrance requirement.
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Law that accepted immigrations on the basis of their national origin; limited annual immigration of each European nationality to 2% in the US population (quota system)
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During this period, immigration was the lowest since the mid-1800s. The 1924 Nation Origins Act, the Great Depression, and WWII reduced immigration greatly, to the point where the emigration numbers were higher than immigration.
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Act that allowed the admission of refugees from WWII and the imposition of Soviet Communism
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Act that replaced the old quotas where priority was on reuniting families and admitting skilled professionals. This made way for greater immigration from Asia.
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Immigrants began to join in the largest numbers, despite legal controls being tighter than before. Many began to join as refugees or in illegal ways.
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Act that gave refugee policy greater consistency, allowing for the regular flow of refugees and emergency admissions
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act that imposed penalties on employers who hired illegal workers (criminalize employees), as well as enabled illegal citizens that lived in the US since 1981 to become citizens (amnesty program)
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raised limit on annual admissions from 290,000 to 675,000
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curbing of illegal immigration, streamlined procedures for deporting illegal citizens and rejecting asylum chains