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Ellis Island is Opened
The sructure on Ellis Island opened on January 2, 1892 as an immigrant entry checkpoint. Over 12 million used the portal of Ellis Island to enter the United States. -
Organic Act of 1900
Organic Act of 1900 grants US citizenship to every Person that was born in Hawaii, before it was annexed in 1898. This included those of Japanese and Chinese Ancestry. -
The Naturalization Act of 1906
The Naturalization Act of 1906 standardizes naturalization procedures, makes some knowledge of the English language a requirement for citizenship, and establishes the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization in the Commerce Department to oversee national immigration policy. -
Bureaus of Immigration and Naturalization Created
The Bueraus of Immigration and Naturalization were created, and promptly moved to reside under the Department of Labor, where they were each given their own commissioners. -
First Quota Act
In May of 1921, the First Quota Act is signed into law, and it limits the number of immigrants from certain countries. -
Emergency Quota Act states restrictions (3%)
The Emergency Quota Act restricts immigration from a given country to 3% of the number of people from that country living in the US in 1910. -
United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind
US Supreme Court decides in United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind that Asian Indians do not qualify for naturalization because they are not considered "white." -
US Border Patrol Established
On May 28, 1924, Congress passed the Labor Appropriation Act of 1924, officially establishing the U.S. Border Patrol for the purpose of securing the borders between inspection stations. -
Alien Regestration Act mandatory fingerprinting of aliens age 14+
The Alien Registration Act requires the registration and fingerprinting of all aliens in the United States over the age of 14. -
Executive Order 9066
President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorises Japanese relocation and signs Executive Order 9066 sending tens of thousands of Japanese Americans to internment camps. -
War Brides and Fiancées Acts
Between the years 1942 and 1952, about one million American soldiers married foreign women from 50 different countries. Brides who could not enter the country due to the immigration quotas were stuck in their home countries without their husbands and often with babies or young children. In an effort to resolve this, acts were passed and an estimated 1 million brides came to America. -
Immigration and Nationality Act
The McCarran-Walter Immigration Act organized all immigration statutes into one body of law. -
Ellis Island closes
In November of 1954 Ellis Island officially closes andis declared a part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument by President Lyndon Johnson. -
Hart-Cellar Immigration and Nationality Act
Hart-Cellar Immigration and Nationality Act abolishes immigration criteria based on nation of origin and race, as it was previously legal. -
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) grants legal status to qualifying illegal aliens who had entered into the US illegaly before Jan. 1, 1982 -
Illegal immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act
Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act is passes and consequently allows some odd 300,000 Central Americans to become legal residents of the US. -
Arizona Bill SB1070 signed into law
Controversial Arizona Bill (SB 1070) Signed into Law, Expanding the State's Authority to Combat Illegal Immigration. Many view this law as racist. -
Illegal immigrants that came to US as children allowed to stay
President Obama Allows Illegal Immigrants Who Came to US as Children to Stay in the Country