MP - 1965 Immigration

Chapter 11: Post-1965 Immigration and Asian America

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

  • The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the Hart-Cellar Reform Act, fundamentally changed Asian American communities by enabling vast immigration from various Asian countries to the United States.
  • This legislation was part of a broader civil rights movement in the mid-1960s that aimed to eliminate racial discrimination across multiple public domains, including voting and education.
  • Key changes made by the act include:
    • Abolishment of the 1924 national origins quota system that benefited Northern Europeans while severely limiting Asian and Southern/Eastern European immigrants.
    • Introduction of a quota system allowing a maximum of 170,000 immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere (with no more than 20,000 from any single country) and 120,000 from the Western Hemisphere without country restrictions.
    • Establishment of preferences for family members of citizens and resident aliens, as well as for individuals with in-demand educational or job skills in the U.S.
Special Non-Quota Provisions
  • Spousal and Family Entry: Spouses, unmarried minor children, and parents of U.S. citizens can enter the U.S. as nonquota immigrants, meaning no numerical limits apply to them.
  • Policymakers did not foresee that this family reunification provision would lead to a significant number of immigrants from Asia and Latin America.
Demographic Impact and Immigration Patterns
  • In the mid-1960s, Asian Americans represented only 0.5% of the U.S. population.
  • The act led to a quick enrollment of Asian immigrants in naturalization classes, resulting in a swell of applications for family members abroad.
  • Statistical Changes Over Time:
    • 1960 Data: 75% of immigrants were from Europe, 9% from Latin America, 5% from Asia.
    • By 1999: Immigrants from Latin America increased to 51%, from Asia to 27%, and from Europe decreased to 16%.
Population Growth of Asian Americans
  • The Asian American population dramatically increased as a result of post-1965 immigration:
    • 490,000 in 1940
    • 3.5 million in 1980
    • 10.8 million in 1999
  • New immigrants revitalized existing ethnic communities and created new enclaves, contributing to the ethnic diversity of the Asian American population.
  • Before 1965, the majority of Asian immigrants were of Chinese, Japanese, or Filipino ancestry, with lesser numbers from Korea and India. Post-1965 trends saw a significant increase in immigrants from the Philippines, Korea, China, and India, as well as Southeast Asian refugees post-1975.

Document Overview

Documentation on Asian Immigration Post-1965
  • The outlined documents provide insights into the influence of post-1965 immigration and the transformed American landscape.

  1. Document 1: Excerpts from the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 - Outlines the seven-category system of preferences replacing the national origins quota system.

  2. Document 2: Graphs and tables illustrating the dramatic increase in Asian immigration post-1965 as a result of the new policies.

  3. Document 3: Personal account by Perla Rabor Rigor detailing the migration experiences of immigrants from the Philippines, including challenges such as housing discrimination in the 50s and 60s.

  4. Document 4: Excerpts from the 1974 Supreme Court ruling that mandated the San Francisco school district to provide English language instruction to approximately 1,800 students of Chinese descent in public schools.

  5. Document 5: Bill Wong discusses diverse Asian American perspectives on California’s Proposition 227 (the Unz Initiative) aimed at eliminating most bilingual education programs in favor of English immersion classes, emphasizing the impact on limited-English-proficient students.

    • Post-proposition trends revealed that parents had to actively seek waivers for bilingual education, with only 12% of the 1.5 million students remaining in bilingual programs by 2002.

  6. Document 6: Analysis of how various Asian immigrant groups (Christian, Buddhist, Hindu) expanded the religious landscape in the U.S. with approximately 1,500 new temples and places of worship constructed due to immigrant initiatives.

  7. Document 7: Elaine Kim's 1998 article suggests that Asian Americans should reflect on the effects of U.S. policies on their migration experiences, advocate against racial rhetoric, and seek cross-racial alliances for community solidarity.

  8. Document 8: Sarita Sarvate discusses the economic consequences for India due to brain drain caused by the migration of skilled professionals to the U.S. She calls for U.S. corporations to create a "brain trust" to mitigate this loss.

Immigration Statistics

Immigration Trends by Race and Decade (1820–1980)
  • Immigration patterns from 1820 to 1980 highlight the significant shifts in the origins of immigrants:
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Africa
  • The provided data demonstrates a rising trend in immigration from Asia over the decades leading up to 1980, reflecting changes in legislation and global socio-economic dynamics.
Sources for Data
  • The immigration statistics are sourced from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Statistical Yearbook and related academic articles, illustrating the evolving immigration climate over time.