Immigration Policy Timeline

By mbrick
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    British and northwestern European Immigration

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    Great Britain, Germany, and Ireland Immigration

  • Potato Famine

    A potato famine his Ireland particularly hard and cause a lot of immigration.
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    Irish Immigration

    After the potato famine many Irish people immigrates to the U.S.
  • U.S. expansion in wealth, land, and jobs

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    Chinese Immigration

    Almost two hundred thousand Chinese immigrants came to the United State to work on construction crews for the transcontinental railroad.
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    Southern and Eastern European Immigration

    There was a wave of Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Russian immigrants.
  • Chinese Exclusion Act

    Prohibited Chinese workers from entering the United States, this also set the stage for later efforts on immigration restrictions based on national origin.
  • Immigrants formed close-knit communities in major cities

  • Immigration Act

    Limited the number of European immigrants from each country to 2% of its proportion in the U.S. population in 1890.
  • Displaced Persons Act

    Allowed for the admission of more than 400,00 refugees left homeless by World War II and the imposition of Soviet communism in Eastern Europe.
  • European and Canadian Immigration

  • Immigration and Nationality Act

    Relaxed restrictions against immigration from Asia.
  • Cuban Immigration

    Approximately seven hundred thousand refugees came from Cuba after a revolution brought Fidel Castro to power.
  • Immigration and Naturalization Act

    Prioritizes families and skilled workers.
  • Refugee Act

    Prompted by the arrival of more than four hundred thousand refugees from Southeast Asia between 1975 and 1980. Consistency by allowing for both a regular flow of refugees and emergency admissions.
  • Immigration Reform and Control Act

    Imposed penalties on employers who knowingly hired workers without proper documentation it also allowed people living in the United States since 1981 as well as undocumented agricultural workers to become citizens.
  • The Immigration Act

    The limit of annual admissions went form 290,000 to 675,000 immigrants
  • The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act

    Deported illegal immigrants and rejected asylum claims.
  • Current trends

    Maligned immigrants-Mexico, and other Latin American countries. Model immigrants-Indian and Chinese.