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1790
Early in the nation's history, Congress declared a preference for immigrants from Europe. In 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 Af. Am. or Asian immigrant from becoming a citizen. -
1880 & 1920
One of the heaviest periods of immigration in American history came between this time period. During this time frame, 25 million immigrants arrived. Most come from the countries of S. and E. Europe parts of the world that were unfamiliar to many Americans. They saw these new immigrants as very different from themselves. -
Chinese Exclusive Act of 1882
Of the men who built the Central Pacific Railroad, the vast majority were Chinese. San Frans and other CAs began to rally against the Chinese. So congress responded with this Act. This Act said that no Chinese laborer could enter the U.S. for 10 years. Renewed several times, the act was in force until WW II. In that conflict, China was an American ally and Congress repealed the law. -
Quota Act of 1921
Congress sets up quotas favoring immigrants from northwestern Europe; the Immigration Act of 1924 expands the quota system; immigration from any country is limited to 2 percent of its total numbers in the 1890 census. -
Immigration Act of 1924
This act introduced a quota system by country: Each country's immigrants were limited to 2 percent of foreign-born residents from that country listed in the U.S. Census of 1890. This fromula favored groups. This Act lowered the number of immigrants allowed into the country by 80 percent; immigration dropped sharply during the next 40 years. -
1965 Immigration Reform and Control Act
The act abolished the quota system based on national origin. Pres. Johnson signed the reform bill. He referred to the old system as "un-American."The new law was driven up by 2 principles: reunifying families and giving priority to certain skills. The law also set up annual limits. -
1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act
This Act by Ronald Reagan had a dual purpose. First, Reagan wanted to slow illegal immigration by punishing employers who knowingly hired undocumented immigrants. Second, he wanted to offer a way for long-term, undocumented immigrants to become legal. They had to show they came to the U.S before Jan. 1982 (and lived here continuously), then they could apply for amnesty. After 5 years of working, they could apply for citizenship. Law violaters paid anywhere from $250 to $2,000. -
Immigration Act of 1990
By 1990, more than 80 percent of American immigrants came from Asia and Latin America. Congress wanted to prevent any one country from making up most of the immigrants to the U.S. In order to accomplish this, it passed this act. This act says that no country could account for more than 7 percent of total immigrants. The law also considered a person's educaiton and skills. Also, the law set up categories for war refugees or close relatives of Am. citizens. -
Immigration Reform Act of 1996
In1996, concerns about the continuing problem of illegal immigration led Congress to pass yet another immigration law. It increased the border patrol staff and stiffened penalties for creating false citizenship papers or smuggling undocumented workers. -
2007
In June, Pres. Bush committed himself to backing a bill to address all immigration issues. His bill proposed to fill short-term labor needs and to strengthen border control. He stated that this bill was realistic because it said nothing about deporting illegal immigrants. The bill also would fine undocumented immigrants and required certain obligations before they could apply for citizenship. In late June 2007, the Senate voted the bill down.
