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Alien and Sedition Acts
In the 5th Congress of the United States four bills entitled the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed, requiring 14 years of residency before citizenship and providing for the deportation of what the U.S. considered "dangerous" aliens. -
Steerage Act
The Steerage Act was one of the first significant federal legislation pieces on immigration. It included reporting of immigration and established standards to be followed by ships carrying passengers to the United States. -
Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment was created in 1868 to protect, "all persons born or naturalized in the United States." -
Chinese Exclusion Act
This act provided a 10 year halt on Chinese labor immigration. Federal law prohibited entry of an ethnic working group for the first time in history. -
Ellis Island Opened
Ellis Island opened as an immigrant entry checkpoint. -
Naturalization Act of 1906
Knowledge of English officially became a basic requirement for immigrants to be considered citizens of the United States. -
Mexican Revolution
1910-1920 approximately (no exact date). The Mexican Revolution drives thousands of mexicans across the US-Mexican border. -
Immigration Act of 1917
Immigration Act provided for literacy tests for those over 16 and established an "Asiatic Barred Zone," which barred all immigrants from Asia. It also limited the number of "undesirable" immigrants, including homosexuals, idiots, and alcoholics. -
Quota Act of 1921
Quota Act of 1921 limited immigrants to 3% of each nationality present in the U.S. (except Asians still barred). -
Border Patrol Established
U.S. border patrol established. -
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
The Immigration and Nationality Act eliminated race as a bar to immigration or citizenship. -
The Refugee Act
The primary goal of the Refugee Act of 1980 was to bring U.S. law into compliance with the requirements of international law.
In addition the act permits individuals within the United States and at the U.S. border to apply for "asylum" or "restriction on removal." -
Immigration Reform and Control Act
The immigration Reform and Control Act provided for amnesty for many illegal aliens and sanctions for employers hiring illegal immigrants. -
Immigration Act of 1990
This act basically increased the limits on legal immigration to the United States and limited unskilled workers to around 10,000. -
California Proposition 187
Proposition 187 was an initiative that prohibited illegal aliens from using health care, public education, and other social services in California. -
REAL ID Act
The Real ID Act is a measures that requires the state governments to verify the authenticity of every driver’s license applicant. It forces states to require that documents submitted to get the card are legitimate and that the applicant is in the United States legally.
