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"Great Wave" of European Immigration 1790
1790-1820
Groups of immigrants came for a variety of religious, political, and economic reasons. English, Scots, Scots-Irish, Germans (migrated to Pennsylvania for religious freedom), Dutch, French, Spanish (migrated to Florida and southwest for Christian converts), Puritans (migrated to Massachusetts to establish a community restricted to members of their faith) -
Naturalization Act of 1790
This was the first nation wide immigration law that was passed and provided the first rules to be followed by the United States in the granting of national citizenship. This law limited naturalization to immigrants who were free white persons of good character. This excluded Asians, Mexicans, and slaves.
Naturalization Act of 1790 -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty signed on 2/2/1848 between the United States and Mexico that ended the Mexican–American War.
It gave the United States the Rio Grande as a boundary for Texas, and gave the U.S. ownership of California and a large area comprising roughly half of New Mexico, most of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo -
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase was an agreement between the United States and Mexico, finalized in 1854, in which the United States agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for a 29670 square mile portion of Mexico that later became part of Arizona and New Mexico. Gadsden’s Purchase provided the land necessary for a southern transcontinental railroad and attempted to resolve conflicts that lingered after the Mexican-American War
Gadsden Purchase -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment was added and granted citizenship to anyone who was born in the United States.
[14th Amendment]9https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv) -
Labor Appropriation Act of 1924
This act officially established the United States Border Patrol with appropriations for 450 Patrol Inspectors. Their purpose was to secure the borders between inspection stations. The government initially provided the inspectors with a badge and a revolver -
Operation Wetback
Operation Wetback was an immigration law enforcement initiative created by Joseph Swing, in cooperation with the Mexican government. The program was implemented in May 1954 by U.S. Attorney General Herbert Brownell and utilized special tactics to deal with illegal border crossings into the United States by Mexican nationals. The program became a contentious issue in Mexico-United States relations -
Immigration Act of 1965
The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, also known as the Hart-Celler Act, abolished an earlier quota system based on national origin and established a new immigration policy based on reuniting immigrant families and attracting skilled labor to the United States.
Act of 1965 -
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
The law criminalized the act of engaging in a "pattern or practice" of knowingly hiring an "unauthorized alien" and established financial and other penalties for those employing illegal immigrants under the theory that low prospects for employment would reduce undocumented immigration. -
NAFTA
North American Free Trade Act is an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. NAFTA -
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act
This act states that immigrants unlawfully present in the United States for 180 days but less than 365 days must remain outside the United States for three years unless they obtain a pardon. If they are in the United States for 365 days or more, they must stay outside the United States for ten years unless they obtain a waiver. If they return to the United States without the pardon, they may not apply for a waiver for a period of ten years. -
Legal Immigration Family Equity Act
The Legal Immigration Family Equity Act made some changes to laws surrounding immigration for family members of United States citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents, as well as people eligible for employment-based immigrant visas, in the direction of making it easier for family members and immigrant workers to move to and adjust status within the United States. -
The Secure Fence Act of 2006
The Secure Fence Act of 2006’s goal is to help secure America’s borders to decrease illegal entry, drug trafficking, and security threats by building 700 miles of physical barriers along the Mexico-United States border. Additionally, the law authorizes more vehicle barriers, checkpoints, and lighting as well as authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to increase the use of advanced technology like cameras, satellites, and unmanned aerial vehicles to reinforce infrastructure at the border. -
SB 1070
The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act is a 2010 legislative Act in the U.S. state of Arizona that at the time of passage in 2010 was the broadest and strictest anti-illegal immigration measure in a long time. It has received national and international attention and has spurred considerable controversy. -
Arizona v. United States
Arizona v. United States was a United States Supreme Court case involving Arizona's S.B. 1070, a state law intended to punish unauthorized immigrants. At issue is whether the law usurps the federal government's authority to regulate immigration laws and enforcement.
