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Chinese Exclusion Act
I wanted to start with historic event, because I believe it was the start of an even great resistance and exclusion of all immigrants. This also marked the era of immigration exclusion to not only the Chinese, but all minority races that were looked down upon. The Chinese Exclusion act prohibited Chinese Laborer immigrants to enter America for 10 years. Link for more information:
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=47 -
United States v. Won Kim Ark
This was the date where the Supreme Court confirms that the 14th amendment gives citizenship to all persons born in the United States. This was an iconic step in history because it defined another step of U.S. citizenship and pointed out the flaw of always allowing citizenship of persons from English, Scotch, Irish, German, and other European decent, but questioning the citizenship of persons born in the U.S. from "minority" decent. Link for more information:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supre -
The Expatiation Act
The Expatiation Act was a historic moment where American women were forced to give up their citizenship if they were to marry a foreigner. It is hard to imagine a time where such a law could be enacted. Not only does this show inequality between races and people, but also of men and women. Link for more information:
http://www.historycentral.com/documents/Expatriation.html -
Thousands of Mexicans to U.S. due to the Mexican Revolution
This event took place for many years starting in 1910 as the Mexican Revolution drove thousands of Mexicans across the US-Mexican Border. I thought this event would be important to note because this was the start of having greater numbers of Mexican immigrants in the US, especially Arizona as it is a border state. Link for more information:
http://blogs.loc.gov/kluge/2015/03/the-history-of-mexican-immigration-to-the-u-s-in-the-early-20th-century/ -
First Quota Act
The First Quota Act limited the number of immigrants that could enter the U.S. for certain countries. These countries included Europe, Australia, Africa, New Zealand, Asiatic Turkey, Persia, and certain islands of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Only three percent of the numbers of foreign born of each nationality residing in the U.S. were to enter based on the 1910 census. Link for more information:
http://immigrationtounitedstates.org/589-immigration-act-of-1921.html -
Labor Appropriation Act
The Labor Appropriation Act was the beginning of the establishment of border patrol. This is an historic event because border patrol are still very much in effect today. This also added to the increased control of immigration. Link for more information:
http://www.cbp.gov/border-security/along-us-borders/history -
Alien Registration Act
The Alien Registration Act, also known as the Smith Act, made it illegal for anyone in the U.S. to advocate, teach, or abet to the overthrow of the government. The Act also required each person over the age of 14 to file a comprehensive statement declaring their politics beliefs, and personal and occupational status. Within four months a total of 4,741,971 aliens had been registered. Link for more information:
http://spartacus-educational.com/USAalien.htm -
Immigration and Nationality Act
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 organized all immigration statutes into one body of law. This act still took from the origins and system of the 1924 Act, but with revisions. The 1952 act ended Asian exclusion and led to steps being taken for less discrimination. It is important to mark this date and Act because, with some revisions, it is the code and body of law that is still enacted today. Link for more information:
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act -
Refugee Act of 1980
The main goals and primary purpose of the Refugee Act was to bring U.S. immigration law into agreement with the requirements of international law. The act contains the definition of "refugee," and also permits people within the U.S. to apply for "asylum," formerly known as "withholding or deportation." It is interesting to be reminded of this act especially with the current controversy over Syrian refugees. Link for more information:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/resource/the-refugee-act -
Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act
The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act was signed by President George W. Bush approximately eight months after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. This act enhanced the border security along with making changes to entry visas, requiring them to be machine readable, tamper resistant, and including a biometric identifier. Link for more information:
http://cis.org/EnhancedBorderSecurityVisaReformAct2002-HR3525 -
Safe Neighborhoods Act
The Arizona Bill SB 1070 was the most restrictive immigration bill in the country. This bill required legal immigrants to carry paperwork providing their status. This bill also gave police the right to question anyone whom they "reasonably suspected" to be an undocumented immigrant. This bill is known to be controversial due to racial profiling. Link for more information:
https://www.aclu.org/feature/arizonas-sb-1070 -
Arizona's Anti-Illegal Immigration Law
On July 18, 2010, U.S. district judge Susan Bolton blocked key parts of Arizona's anti-illegal immigration law. Judge Bolton blocked the requirement for police to check immigration status during routine infractions such as traffic violations. Judge Bolton blocked the section requiring foreigners to carry documentation stating that they had permission to be in the U.S. Link for more information:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/us/29arizona.html?_r=0 -
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Arizona Law
The United States Supreme Court upholds Arizona law by penalizing businesses that hire undocumented immigrants. This law was seen as more of an urgency since Arizona occupied more illegal immigrants than other states, along with many cheap labor jobs and fields that required workers. Link for more information:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/us/27scotus.html -
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Centerpiece of AZ Immigration Law
The U.S. Supreme upheld the centerpiece of the Arizona Immigration Law of 2010, while blocking other parts on the grounds that they interfered with the federal governments role of setting immigration policy. The courts sustained the "show me your papers" provision, while blocking criminal offenses for an illegal immigrant seeking work. Link for more information:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/26/us/supreme-court-rejects-part-of-arizona-immigration-law.html -
President Obama - Prevent Deporation of Millions of Immigrants
In a White House speech, Obama prevented the deportation of millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally. As there are currently over 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., Obama would let 4.4 million immigrants who are parents of citizens remain in the country temporarily without fear of deportation. Link for more information:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/20/remarks-president-address-nation-immigration
