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US Border Patrol Established with Labor Appropriation Act of 1924
On May 28, 1924, Congress passed the Labor Appropriation Act of 1924, officially establishing the U.S. Border Patrol for the purpose of securing the borders between inspection stations. -
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Mexican “Repatriation Act” Forces Immigrants in the United States Back to Mexico
Forced departures. Some of the deportees who were moved by train or car had guards to ensure they left the USA and others were sent south on a 'closed-body school bus' or 'Mexican gun boat,' memos show -
Bracero Program Brings 5,000,000 Mexican Temporary Laborers to Work in US Farms and Railroads in a 22-Year Period
Bilateral talks resulted in a special program that allowed migrant laborers to work on US farms and railroads. Regulated by both governments, this agreement ended the system of private labor recruitment and introduced a new phase of negotiation. -
Refugee Act of 1980 Allows Persecuted Individuals to Seek Asylum in United States
The act contains a definition of the term 'refugee' derived from the 1951 convention. The definition includes, in brief, any person unable or unwilling to return to his or her country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion -
Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act Allows Some 300,000 Central Americans to Become Legal Residents
Congress rewrote provisions in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that pertain to the circumstances under which certain aliens subject to expulsion from the United States may become legal residents. -
AFL-CIO Labor Union Supports Amnesty for Immigrants in the United States Illegally
Millions of hard-working people who make enormous contributions to their communities and workplace are denied basic human rights because of their undocumented status -
Terrorist Attacks Prompt US Department of Defense to Expand Military Support along the Borders
After the attacks of September 11, 2001, military support was expanded to include counterterrorism activities. -
"Minuteman Project" Begins Recruiting Civilians to Patrol the US-Mexico Border
In Arizona, a group calling itself the Minuteman Project has stationed scores of men and women along the Mexican border in a controversial effort to track down undocumented immigrants. -
Secure Fence Act Authorizes Fencing along the US-Mexican Border
The Act authorizes the construction of 700 hundreds of miles of double-layered fencing along the nation's Southern border. -
Controversial Arizona Bill (SB 1070) Signed into Law, Expanding the State's Authority to Combat Illegal Immigration
Under Arizona's new law, to take effect in 90 days, it will be a state crime to be in the country illegally, and legal immigrants will be required to carry paperwork proving their status. Arizona police will generally be required to question anyone they 'reasonably suspect' of being undocumented -
Judge Blocks Key Parts of Arizona's Anti-Illegal Immigration Law
[Judge Bolton] blocked a requirement that police check the immigration status of people stopped for such routine infractions as traffic violations, if police suspect they are in the U.S. illegally... [and] a section that required law enforcement to detain individuals until their legal status was clarified. She also blocked a section that required foreigners to carry documents proving they had permission to be in the U.S., and another provision that banned illegal immigrants from seeking work. -
US Supreme Court Upholds Arizona Law Penalizing Businesses That Hire Undocumented Immigrants
Several states have enacted measures that seek to penalize employers for hiring illegal workers, while others are considering legislation similar to Arizona's -
President Obama Signs Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to Allow Some Undocumented Immigrants Who Came to the United States as Children to Stay in the Country
Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children will be allowed to remain in the country without fear of deportation and able to work, under an executive action the Obama administration announced on Friday. -
US Supreme Court Upholds Centerpiece of 2010 Arizona Immigration Law, Rejects Other Provisions
The ruling is likely to set the ground rules for the immigration debate, with supporters of the Arizona law pushing for 'show me your papers' provisions in more states and opponents trying to overturn criminal sanctions for illegal immigrants. -
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act Adds Immigrants to Protected Classes
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President Obama Announced Executive Action to Prevent Deportation of Millions of Immigrants in the United States Illegally
With 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, Obama's plan would let some 4.4 million who are parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents remain in the country temporarily, without the threat of deportation.
