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Massachusetts sets a precedent for immigration laws by ordering that townspeople cannot host aliens without permission from authorities. This is the first documented attempt to limit who can enter the country.
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In 1752, Tubac became one of the earliest places in what is currently Arizona to be settled. The Presidio of Tubac was established as a permanent Spanish colonial settlement.
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The Naturalization Act of 1790 was the first country-wide set of immigration and citizenship laws. This law allowed aliens who had been living in the United States for two years to apply for citizenship, and also granted citizenship to children born to U.S. citizens while outside of the country.
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The Mexican War, which began in 1846, was ended by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty gave the United States everything North of the Gila River, which included most of present day Arizona, and in exchange Mexico received $15 million.
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The United States paid $10 million for 30,000 square miles South of the Gila River. This purchase was the last acquisition of land by the United States, and completes present day U.S.A.
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The first instance of enforcing border patrol began in the early 1900's with the "mounted guards," stationed in El Paso, Texas as ranging the border as far east as California.
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Arizona becomes the 48th state, taking on the full scope of American government in the process.
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The Labor Appropriation Act of 1924 established an official border patrol as a federal law enforcement agency.
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This Act made it illegal to hire undocumented workers. It required employers to attest to their employees' immigration status. It also included an amnesty program for aliens who had entered the United States before January 1, 1982.
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In 2000, the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations), a trade union, announced their support for an amnesty program in the United States.
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The terrorist attack on 9/11 had an impact on illegal immigration because it caused the deployment of military support to the American/Mexican border.
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The Secure Fence Act of 2006 authorized hundreds of miles of fencing along the American/Mexican border. This fence further hinders illegal immigration into the United States.
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SB 1070 created state penalties for actions such as harboring or employing illegal immigrants. This law was challenged in the Supreme Court, but the law was upheld.
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Proposition 200, which was passed in 2004, required voters to provide proof of citizenship before registering to vote. On June 17, 2013, the Supreme Court denied this proposition.
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Today, the issue of illegal immigration continues to be a widely debated issue in Arizona and in the entire nation.
