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First Declaration of Immigration Regulation
After the Civil War, states started passing immigration laws, leading to the Supreme Court's declaration of the regulation of immigration as a federal responsibility. Thus enacting the passing of immigration legislative. -
The General Immigration Act of 1882
The general Immigration Act of 1882 enacted a tax of 50 cents per head on each immigrant. This also included The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Alien Contract Labor laws of 1885 and 1887, prohibiting certain laborers from immigrating to the United States. -
Immigration Act of 1891
The 1891 Act expanded the list of excludable classes of immigrants. Preventing the immigration of polygamists, people convicted of crimes, and those suffering contagious diseases. -
Ellis Island
The Immigration Service opened the U.S.’s best known immigration station on Ellis Island in the New York Harbor. Along with the establishment of the enourmous facility, came thourough procedure and a committee of board members to investigate each individual exclusion case. Service stations were also errected in cities such as Philadelphia and Boston. -
A Shift in Agency Control
Considering the past imigration laws put in place, the main intention was to protect American workers and wages. The Act in February 14, 1903, moved the Bureau of Immigration from the Treasury Department to the newly created Department of Commerce and Labor. -
Naturalization Act of 1906
This Act required standard naturalization forms and encouraged state and local courts to give up their jurisdiction to federal courts. It also consisted of Theodore Roosevelt's revising of the previous naturalization law in1870, now requiring immigrants to learn English in order to become a naturalized citizen. -
Literacy Tests
The Immigration Act of 1917 required that immigrants be able to read and write in their native language, thus leading to the Immigration Service to begin administering literacy tests. -
The Quota System
The Quota system numerically limited immigration for the first time in United States history. Each nationality received a quota based on its representation in past U.S. census figures. The State Department distributed a limited number of visas each year through U.S. Embassies. -
U.S Border Patrol
In response to rising numbers of illegal aliens and smuggling of immgirants, especially along land borders, Congress created the U.S. Border Patrol within the Immigration Service. These restrictions, shifted more agency staff and resources to deportation activity. -
United Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
The Bureau of Immigration and The Bureau of Naturalization were merged into one agency, the INS. The agency’s focus shifted towards law enforcement due to a drop in the number of immigrants entering the U.S. because of the Great Depression. During this time,more resources were dedicated to the investigation, exclusion, and deportation of aliens. -
Alien Registration Program
This program enacted and organized the recording and fingerprinting of every alien in the United States. -
Department of Justice
Immigration began to be addressed as a national security issue rather than an economic issue, reshaping the INS. In 1940, The INS was transferred from the Department of Labor to the Department of Justice. -
Bracero Program
The Bracero program sent temporary agricultural workers from Mexico, to approved American employers. This allowed for thousands of braceros to enter the United States each year as non-immigrant laborers. The program lasted from 1942-1951. -
Reformed Imigration Policy
All previous immigration and naturalization laws were combined into the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This Act removed all racial barriers to immigration and naturalization. Congress then replaced the Quota system with a preference system which attract skilled immigrants to the United States. In response to this change, the majority of applicants for visas were now coming from Asia and Central America, compared to Western Europe in the 1920s. -
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA)
IRCA put the INS in charge of enforcing sanctions against U.S. employers who hired undocumented aliens. This involved investigating, prosecuting, and fining corporate and individual employers, as well as deportation of the employees working illegally. -
Immigration Act of 1990
The IMMACT of 1990 increased the number of available visas and revised the categories regarding permanent immigration. Visas are now divided into 3 separate categories: family-sponsored, employment-based, and “diversity” immigrants who are selected from countries with low immigration numbers. -
The Homeland Security Act of 2002
Post 9/11, the department of Homeland Security was established and included three agencies. The Customs and Border Patrol,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
