Unit 3 Immigration

forever dates

First Naturalization Act (1790)

Established a uniform rule for citizenship; restricted Naturalization for free whites (immigrants who had resided in the US for at least two years)

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

four laws passed by federalists; naturalization, Alien Friends, Alien Enemies, Sedition

Naturalization

Increased the residency requirement for citizenship from 5 to 14 years

Alien Friends Act

Allowed the President to deport any non-citizen deemed dangerous

Alien Enemies Act

Permitted the President to restrain or deport male citizens of a hostile nation during wartime (still technically law today)

Sedition Act

Criminalized writing or publishing "false, scandalous, and malicious writing" critical of the government, Congress, or President

First law restricting immigration (Page Act of 1875)

AKA the end of “open borders”: the law prohibited the entry of forced laborers and women, mainly targeting Asian immigration through racial policies, and setting an example for future legislation.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

Restricted Chinese laborers from entering the country for ten years as they increased job competition. They required special certification for non-laborers, and denied citizenship for Chinese residents to help mitigate economic competition in the West.

Russia’s Communist Revolution (1917)

Directly caused the US to adopt anti-racial, anti-immigrant policies, and triggered the Red Scare where

Immigration Act (1917)

Asiatic barred-zone; banned immigrants from all Asian countries except for Japan and the Philippines. It also required $8 literacy tests (impossible) which restricted non white and Southern/Eastern Europeans from arriving to the US.

National Origins Quota Act of 1924 (Immigration Act)

Act that limited the amount of immigrants per country, based on the country’s population. It provided immigration visas to 2% of the the total population of each nationality.

Bracero Agreement (1942)

Pact between US and Mexico where they initiated to bring Mexican men to America for short term labor for farming and railroad work during WWII. The act promised fair treatment, minimum wages and good housing. Oftentimes these promises were violated.

Immigration and Nationality Act (1965)

Abolished national origins quota system (signed by LBJ) and replaced with a preference system which prioritized family reunification (75%) and skilled immigrants (20%). This shifted US demographics from mainly Northern europeans to southern/eastern europeans and asians.

Secure Fence Act (2006)

GW Bush signed act where 700 miles of reinforced fencing and advanced tech were built along the US-Mexico border; aimed to strengthen security, illegal immigration, and further manage border control thru checkpoints, etc.

Muslim Ban (2017)

Orders made by Trump that restricted travel to the US from major Muslim countries. He justified it as a national security measure but the policy sparked large protests and legal challenges which reflected 9/11 fears, debates over immigration, and executive power.