-
Supreme Court declared regulation of federal responsibility
Immigration would then on be controlled by the federal government. -
Big increase in immigration begins
Immigrants from Europe, Africa and later Asia began to come to America seeking economic opportunity, religious freedom, or later against their will. -
Immigration Service established
This would deal with the big increase in immigration that began in 1880 -
Period: to
"Great Wave"
Nearly 24 million immigrants arrived in USA in this time -
Outbreak of WWI
Immigration from Europe greatly reduced -
National- Origins quota passed
A new immigration policy that would deal with the mass immigration that relapsed after WWI ended. -
National- Origins quota revised
Immigration was limited by assigning each nationality a quota based on representation in past US census figures -
Congress created the US Border Patrol
(within the Immigration Service) -
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
Congress re-codified and combined all previous immigration and naturalization into one. -
Congress replaces national origins system w/ a preference system
Designed to unite immigrant families and attract skilled immigrants to US -
Refugee Act of 1980
This finally created a general policy governing the admissions of refugees. -
Congress passes IRCA
Immigration Reform and Control Act: two main parts were amnesty and enforcement. -
Period: to
US Commission on Immigration Reform
"credibility of immigration policy can be measured by a simple yardstick: people who should get it, do get in; people who should not get in are kept out; and people who are judged deportable are required to leave." -
Congress again reformed immigration statuses
This modified and expanded the 1965 act. -
Section 245 (i) passed
Pardoned approximately 578,000 ilegal aliens who were each fined $1,000. -
Congress passes IIRIRA
(Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act)
This act added to border controls by mandating the hiring of more agents. -
Section 245 (i) renewed
-
NACARA passed
(Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act)
This amnesty gave legal status to about 1 million illegal immigrants, most from Central America, who had lived in US since 1995 -
HRIFA passed
(Haitian Refugee Immigration and Fairness Act)
Haitians thought that NACARA was discriminatory against them, so this act was passed -
Section 245 (i) amnesty renewed
-
LIFE Act passed
(Legal Immigration Family Equity Act)
This mini-amnesty was for those who were illegal aliens who hoped to become green card holders through marriage, employment or other categories, but were not near approval yet. -
Terrorist attack on World Trade Center and Pentagon
The attack exposed holes in our immigration system that included failures at visa processing, internal enforcement, and information sharing. -
Border Protection, Anti-terroism & Illegal Immigration Control Act
This act was limited to enforcement and focused on both the border and the interior. -
CIRA passed
(Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act)
It would have given amnesty to a majority of illegal aliens already in country as well as dramaticaclly increased legal immigration, but no bill ever emerged from it. -
Second attempt to pass CIRA
(Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act)
It would have given amnesty to a large majority of illegal immigrants to the country, increased legal immigration, and increased enforcement, but again it was not passed.
