U.S. Immigration Acts and Legal Precedents

Flashcards covering historical and modern U.S. immigration acts, landmark Supreme Court cases, and policy definitions from the lecture notes.

Naturalization Act of 1790

Restricted citizenship to "free White persons," establishing early racial limits on naturalization in the United States.

14th Amendment (1868)

Established birthright citizenship for all people born in the U.S. under the Citizenship Clause.

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)

The first major federal immigration restriction based on race, which barred Chinese labor immigration and naturalization.

Immigration Act of 1882

Increased federal control over immigration, imposed head taxes, excluded "undesirable" immigrants, and introduced the public charge doctrine targeting poor immigrants.

Public Charge Doctrine

A doctrine introduced in the Immigration Act of $1882$ that targeted poor immigrants who rely on public or government assistance to get by.

United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898)

A landmark Supreme Court case affirming that virtually all individuals born on U.S. soil are American citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment's Citizenship Clause, regardless of parental race or nationality.

Gentlemen’s Agreement (1907–1908)

An informal deal between the U.S. and Japan that limited Japanese labor immigration without an official ban.

Immigration Act of 1917

Imposed literacy tests and created the "Asiatic Barred Zone," severely limiting immigration from Asia.

Ozawa v. United States (1922)

Supreme Court ruling that Takao Ozawa (and all Japanese people) was not "White" and therefore ineligible for naturalization, concluding that the "free white persons" clause referred to the Caucasian race.

U.S. v. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923)

Supreme Court decision ruling that Indian immigrants were not "White" and retroactively rescinding the citizenship of Indians, stating that "whiteness" must be interpreted per the understanding of the "common man" rather than scientific classifications.

Immigration Act of 1924

Established strict national-origin quotas favoring Northern Europeans based on the $1890$ census and completely banned immigration of all "aliens ineligible for citizenship" (nearly all Asian immigrants).

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952

Ended explicit racial restrictions while preserving national-origin quotas and creating modern preference categories prioritizing individuals with special skills or resident family members in the U.S.

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

Abolished national-origin quotas and created today's immigration system centered on family reunification and skilled immigration.

Immigration Act of 1990

Created the Diversity Visa Program and introduced the principle of Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Diversity Visa Program

A program created by the Immigration Act of $1990$ making up to $50{,}000$ immigrant visas available annually via random selection to individuals from countries with low rates of U.S. immigration.

Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DACA, 2012)

An executive action by President Obama allowing people who came to the U.S. as children and meet certain guidelines to request consideration of deferred action (temporary relief from deportation) for a renewable period of $2$ years.

Trump v. Hawaii (2018)

Supreme Court decision that upheld the president's authority to issue national-security-based travel bans and overturned the Korematsu v. United States decision.

Alien Enemies Act (1798)

A $1798$ wartime authority allowing presidents to detain or deport natives and citizens of an enemy country, invoked by the Trump administration as a legal basis to deport alleged gang members.

Trump Gold Card

A $2025$-introduced U.S. immigration program allowing foreign nationals to secure expedited permanent residency (Green Card) by making a $\text{1 million dollar}$ non-refundable gift to the U.S. government.

"Good Moral Character" Criteria

USCIS criteria broadened beyond criminal records to include employment history, family ties, and civic responsibility (e.g., volunteer activities), shifting requirements toward affirmative evidence of good conduct.

Laken Riley Act (2025)

A law named after a $22$-year-old nursing student from Georgia that mandates DHS take into custody any undocumented immigrants accused of theft, burglary, assaulting an officer, or crimes causing death or serious bodily injury without a bond hearing upon arrest.

Family separation policy (2018)

The Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy (April $2018$–June $2018$) resulting in the separation of over $5{,}500$ children, including infants, from their families at the U.S.–Mexico border.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

A designation established under the Immigration Act of $1990$ given when a national's home country is deemed too dangerous to return to due to violence, war, natural disasters, or other unstable conditions.