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The United States Naturalization Act of 1790 passes
The original naturalization act provided he first set of rules that granted U.S. citizenship. It allowed "free white persons" of "good moral character" to become citizens after two years residence in the country. It excluded American Indians, indentured servants, slaves, free blacks, and Asians. -
The United States Naturalization Act of 1795 passes
Alarmed that the influx of immigrants and refugees from France during its revolution would prove to be a threat to American liberty, Congress amended the Naturalization Act of 1790, raising the period of required residence in the U.S, from two years to five years, -
The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 pass
Under the threat of war from France, the U.S, passed a series of four acts between June 18 and July 14 of 1798 in an effort to strengthen the federal government. The period of required residence to gain U.S. citizenship was bumped up from five years to 14; the President became authorized to deport aliens deemed dangerous to the U.S. during peacetime; alien subject could be arrested and deported to an alien power during wartime; and the publication of false, malicious writing was made illegal. -
The Steerage Act of 1819 passes
The Steerage Act of 1819 was the first federal law devoted exclusively to immigration. It established standards for ships carrying passengers to the United States. Passenger manifests of all arriving ships had to be sent to the Collecters of Customs, Secetary of States, This information was also reported to Congress. -
The Homestead Act of 1862 passes
The U.S. government was eager to populate newly acquired western land by both citizens and noncitizens. The Homestead Act of 1862 offered free plots of land in the west to both immigrants and native-borns, as long as they agreed to live on and develop the land for at least five years. -
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 passes
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was one of the first federal laws to target a particular set of "undesirable" immigrants in the United States. It suspended the immigration of all Chinese workers for 10 years and prevented Chinese immigrants
from becoming U.S. citizens. It would be renwed twice -- in 1892 and 1902. -
The Immigration Act of 1891 passes
The 1891 Immigration Act was the first national comprehensive immigration law. It created the Bureau of Immigration within the federal Treasury Department and allowed for the deportation of immigrants who enter the country unlawfully, -
The first Ellis Island immigration station opens
The first Ellis Island immigration station opened on January 1, 1892. It would later burn down in 1897. It processed approximately 1.5 million immigrants in five years of use. -
The second Ellis Island immigration station opens
After the first Ellis Island Immigration station burned in 1897, the second opened in 1900. When it closed in 1954, it was estimated approximately 12 million immigrants had been processed there. -
The Naturalization Act of 1906 passes
The 1906 Naturalization Act made it a requirement for immigrants to learn English in order to become naturalized citizens and standardized forms, fees, and procedures for the naturalization process. -
The Quota Law of 1921 passes
The Quota Law of 1921 was the first immigration law to impose numerical limits on immigration. It capped overall immigration to about 350,000 immigrants a year and restricted immigration from a country to 3 percent of the number of people of that ancestry who were living in the United States in 1910, according to the U.S. census. -
The 1943 Magnuson Act passes
Effectively repealed th 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act by allowing Chinese national in the U.S. to become naturalized citizens, but established immigrations quotas for China. -
The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act passes
The Immigration Act of 1965 abolished the
discriminatory quota system, It eliminated race, ancestry, or national origin as a basis for denying immigration to the United States. Some numerical restrictions on immigration were maintained. It also established a "preference system" that is still in place today. -
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 passes
IRCA provided unauthorized immigrants the opportunity to apply and gain legal status if they met mandated requirements, yet it also created sanctions against employers who "knowingly" hired illegal immigrants. -
The 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform & Immigrant Responsibility Act passes
A long, complex piece of legislation that addressed increasing border security and enforcement practices regarding visa applications and abusers. It also addressed penalties for racketeering, alien smuggling and the use or creation of fraudulent immigration-related documents. -
The 2001 Dream Act is introduced into Congress
The Dream Act, which would grant a pathway to citizenship to young immigrants who were brought into the U.S. illegally if they meet certain requirements, is introduced into Congress in 2001, but it fails to pass. It would be reintroduced again in 2009, 2010, and 2011, but it still has yet to pass. -
2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act
This, among several other acts, tied the issue of immigration to national security. It reinforced immigration security and border control, toughened visa requirements, and intensified other immigration policies and restrictions in the U.S. -
The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 is introduced into Congress
Otherwise known as the 2013 bipartisan immigration reform bill, the bill would make it possible for many undocumented immigrants to apply for citizenship, but it would also add more border security. It passed the Senate and currently sits in committee with the "Gang of Eight," and it's unclear whether the bill will be voted on or whether it will die in committee.
