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Chinese Exclusion Act o 1882
Stopped entry of Chinese immigrants into the United States for ten years. -
1888 & 1891
Allowed the national government not only to exclude certain individuals--convicts, prostitutes, and insane persons, for example--but also to deport aliens who entered the country in niolation of these immigration laws. -
Quota Act of 1921
Limited the annual number of immigrants from each nationality to 3 percent of the number of foreign-born persons of that nationality who were living in the United STates in 1910. -
Immigration Act of 1924 and National Origins Act of 1929
Established a new quota system for each nationality and set a limit on the total number of immigrants to be allowed entry at all (150,000 per year). -
1965
Eliminated quotas based on national origin. As many as 270,000 immigrants could be admitted each year without regard to nationality, country of origin, or race. -
1986 - Immigration Reform and Control Act
Imposed severe penalties on employers who willfully hired illegal aliens. Employers who repeatedly violated this law can be jailed for up to six months. -
1987-88 - Amnesty Program
From the summer of 1987 to the summer of 1988, illegal aliens who could provide that they had been in this country continuously for at least five years could apply to obtain temporary legal residency status. -
Immigration Act of 1990
Raised legal immigration levels by about 40 percent, to 700,000 per year. -
1994 - Proposition 187
Denied public social services, publicly funded health care, and public education to people who were suspected of being illegal aliens. -
Immigration Reform Act of 1996
Had many provisions aimed at curbing illegal immigration into the United States. -
Welfare Reform Act of 1996
Prohibited immigrants, including legal immigrants who are not yet citizens, from receiving most forms of public assistance, including welfare benefits. -
1997
Many refugees automatically became eligible for permanent legal residence. Other illegal immigrants were allowed to remain in the United States while the government processed their appplications for permanent legal residence.
