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1790
Congress passed a law defining who could become a citizen if a person was not born here: Citizenship was possible only for someone who was "a free white person". This barred any African or Asian immigrants from becoming a citizen. -
Period: to
1880 - 1920
During this timespan, 25 million immigrants arrived. Most came from coutries of Southern and Eastern Europe. -
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
The law stated that no Chinese laborer could enter the United States for 10 years, although Chinese professionals were still allowed to immigrate. Congress repealed this law during WWII. -
Quota Act of 1921
Congress set up quotas favoring immigrnats from northwestern Europe. -
Immigration Act of 1924
Act was passed stating that each countries immigrants were limited to 2 percent of foreign-born residents from theat coutnry listed in the United States Census of 1890. -
Immgration Reform Act
Act aboloished that quota system based on national origin. This bill was based off of two priniciples: reeuniting families and giing priority ti certain skills. This act also set limits: 170.000 immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere and 120,000 from the Western Hemisphere. -
Immigration Reform and Control Act
This act penalized employrs for knowingly hiring undocumented immigrants, but it gave amnesty to some undocumented immigrants, allowing them a path to enetually apply for citizenship. -
Immigration Act of 1990
Law that stated that no country could account for more than 7 percent of all immigrants. This law also considered a persons education and skills. It also set up special catagories for war refugees and close reletived of American Citizens. -
Immigration Reform Act of 1996
Congress passed a law that increased border patrol staff and stiffened penalties for creating false citizenship papers or smuggling undocumented workers. -
2007
A bill was proped by President Bush to address all immigration issues, but the bill was killed and the immigration issues were never faced.
