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Naturalization Act of 1790
The United States provided the first rules to be followed, it was granting of national citizenship other than by birth. The law limited naturalization to aliens who were “free white citizens,” leaving out large groups like slaves and Asian immigrants. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
Acts passed by President John Adams.These acts increased the residency requirement for American citizenship from five to fourteen years. They also authorized the president to imprison or deport aliens considered 'dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States'. -
Foreign Slave Trade Becomes Illegal
50,000 slaves become the first Illegal Aliens in the U.S. President Jefferson promptly made that trade illegal, but did not interfere with either the domestic slave trade or slavery itself. This trade protected the foreign slave trade, a major source of immigration. -
The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
This treaty ended the Mexican-American War allowing the United States to acquire Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California, and parts of Utah and Nevada from Mexico. 80,000 Mexicans living in the territory are allowed to remain and receive citizenship. By 1849, the English-speaking population of California reached 100,000 compared to 13,000 of Mexican ancestry. -
The Chinese Exclusion Acts
The first significant laws restricting immigration into the U.S. Chinese composed only about two percent of the nation's population. Congress passed the exclusion act to placate worker demands and demolish concerns about maintaining white "racial purity." -
Mexican revolution
Drove thousands of Mexicans across the US-Mexican Border. The violence and turmoil resulted in large-scale migration of many Mexicans into the United States. Many sought to stay only as long as necessary to improve their economic situations and then to return to Mexico -
U.S Border Patrol is Established
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. The government provided the agents a badge and revolver. Recruits furnished their own horse and saddle, but Washington supplied oats and hay for the horses and a $1,680 annual salary for the agents. The agents did not have uniforms until 1928." -
Bracero Program
Bracero Program begins bringing 5,000,000 Mexicans to be temporary laborers to work in US Farms and Railroads. World War II had drained enough U.S. manpower to force Washington to look abroad for recruits to support a wartime economy. Bilateral talks resulted in a special program that allowed migrant laborers to work on U.S. farms and railroads. Regulated by both governments, this agreement ended the system of private labor recruitment and introduced a new phase of negotiation. -
Immigration and Nationality Act
Immigration and naturalization exclusion on the basis of race, sex, or nationality was prohibited. It set a maximum annual level of immigration at 300,000 visas and placed a per-country limit for immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere at 20,000. -
Immigration Act
The act retained family reunification as the major entry path while more than doubling employment-related immigration. The law also provided for the admission of immigrations from “under-represented countries” to increase the diversity of the immigrant flow. -
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act
Made many legal immigrants ineligible for federal entitlement programs. It will dramatically change the nation's welfare system into one that requires work in exchange for time-limited assistance. -
Secure Fence Act
he Act authorizes the construction of hundreds of miles of double-layered fencing along the nation's Southern border. It also directs Homeland Security to take action to stop the unlawful entry of undocumented immigrants, terrorists, and contraband into the U.S. using both personnel and surveillance technology. They also are constructing an improved security system along the Northern border. -
Estimated Number of Unauthorized Immigrants
The number of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States declined from 11.8 million in January 2007 to 11.6 million in 2008. The 2008 estimate marks the first time since 2005 that there was not a year-to-year increase in unauthorized residents. During the 2000-2008 period, the unauthorized immigrant population increased by 37 percent. -
SB 1070
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law the most restrictive immigration bill in the country, setting the stage for a showdown with the Obama administration. 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. -
President Obama Allows Undocumented Immigrants
President Obama Allows Undocumented Immigrants Who Came to US as Children to Stay in the Country. Under the change, the Department of Homeland Security will no longer initiate the deportation of illegal immigrants who came to the United States before age 16, have lived here for at least five years, and are in school, are high school graduates or are military veterans in good standing. The immigrants must also be under 30 and have clean criminal records.
