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The beginning of colonial immigration.
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Slavery. Importation of African Slaves begins.
Back then, not illegal... yet. -
During these years, the Articles of Confederation kept citizenship and naturalization of aliens under indiviual states' control.
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The Alien and Sedition Acts gave the US President with the power to punish and/or deport "aliens", along with increasing the naturalization residency requirement to 14 years.
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US aquires Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California and parts of Utah and Nevada from Mexico.
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The Homestead Act gave applicants ownership of land for little or no money, this encouraged westward migration.
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A commissioner of immigration is appointed by the US President, becoming the first congressional attempt to centralize immigration control.
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Supreme Court confirms the 14th Amendment, which gave citizenship to all persons born in the United States.
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The Immigration Act of 1903, also known as the Anarchist Exclusion Act, led to exclusion of immigrants based on political ideology begins.
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During the Mexican Revolution, thousands of Mexicans entered the US because of the job availability in industry, mines, railroads and especially agriculture all for higher wages than those available in Mexico.
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The Immigration Act of 1917 denied entry to immigrants from Eastern Asia and Pacific Islands.
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First Quota Act becomes law and limits the number of immigrants from certain countries.
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US Supreme Court decides in United States v. Bhagat Thind that Asian Indians do not qualify for naturalization because they are not considered "White".
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The US Border Patrol is established, their main purpose is to secure the borders between inspection stations.
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The Bracero Program brought 5,000,000 Mexican workers to the US temporarily to work American fields.
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This act granted legal status to qualifying illegal aliens who entered the US before Jan. 1, 1982.
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American Federation of Labor- Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) Labor Union supports amnesty for undocumented aliens.
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Terrorist attacks prompt US Department of Defence to expand military support along the borders as well as promotes racial profiling.
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Secure Fence Act authorizes fencing along most of the US-Mexican border.
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Violence. Drugs. Media. No control. Screwed up politics. Misguided blame.
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Arizona passed law which further expanded the state's authority to combat illegal immigration.
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President Barack Obama allows illegal immigrants who came to US as children to stay in country.
