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Immigrants settle in America
Beginning of Colonial Immigration; English Settlers Arrive in America -
First attempt by Congress to Centralize Immigration
US Citizenship and Immigration ServicesFirst Congressional Attempt to Centralize Immigration Control; A Commissioner of Immigration Is Appointed by the US President -
Congress Establishes the First Federal Administrative Agency for the Regulation of Immigration
In 1891 Congress established the first federal administrative agency for the regulation of immigration in the Treasury Department. Congress later refined and strengthened the control of immigration. -
Supreme Court Confirms That 14th Amendment Gives Citizenship to All Persons Born in the United States
To hold that the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution excludes from citizenship the children, born in the United States, of citizens or subjects of other countries would be to deny citizenship to thousands of persons of English, Scotch, Irish, German, or other European parentage who have always been considered and treated as citizens of the United States -
Mexican Revolution Drives Thousands of Mexicans across the US-Mexican Border
Development of mining and industry in northern Mexico and building of north-south railroad lines, attracted large numbers of Mexicans to the northern part of the country in the late nineteenth century... At the same time, economic pressures were mounting. Many small landowners were losing their holdings to expanding haciendas, while farm workers were increasingly and systematically trapped into peonage by accumulating debts. Finally in 1910 political opponents of President Porfirio Diaz revolted -
US Congress Authorizes "Mounted Inspectors" Along the US-Mexico Border
Congress authorized a separate group of Mounted Guards, often referred to as Mounted Inspectors. Most rode on horseback, but a few operated cars and even boats. Although these inspectors had broader arrest authority, they still largely pursued Chinese immigrants trying to avoid the Chinese exclusion laws. These patrolmen were Immigrant Inspectors, assigned to inspection stations, and could not watch the border at all times. -
US Border Patrol Established
On May 28, 1924, Congress passed the Labor Appropriation Act of 1924, officially establishing the U.S. Border Patrol for the purpose of securing the borders between inspection stations. -
US Labor Secretary Estimates That Over 1,000,000 Mexicans Are in US Illegally
The Secretary of Labor says, 'We estimate that more than one million Mexicans are illegally in this country.' Some of those working with Mexicans say that for every one who enters legally there are three who enter illegally. From figures available by the United States Department of Labor, the five Southwestern states visited have a Mexican population estimated as follows: Texas, 555,000; California, 350,000; New Mexico, 180,000; Colorado, 70,000; Arizona, 60,000. -
Census Estimates 2 to 4 Million Illegal Aliens in US with about Half from Mexico
The undocumented Mexican population in 1980 was in the 1-2 million range, with the total number from all countries falling in the range of 2-4 million... Of the undocumented present and counted in 1980, 941,000 entered during 1975-1980; 576,000 entered during 1970-1974; and 540,000 entered before 1970... Finally, the estimates for 1980 show a high proportion of recent arrivals, and very few who entered the United States prior to 1960 -
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) Grants Legal Status to Qualifying Illegal AliensWho Entered the USBefore Jan. 1, 1982
The Attorney General shall adjust the status of an alien to that of an alien lawfully admitted for temporary residence if the alien meets the following requirements:must establish that he entered the United States before January 1, 1982, and that he has resided continuously in the United States in an unlawful status since such date and through the date the application is filed under this subsection. -
Immigration Act of 1990 Increases Limit on Legal Immigration and Revises Grounds for Exclusion and Deportation
increased the limits on legal immigration to the United States, revised all grounds for exclusion and deportation, authorized temporary protected status to aliens of designated countries, revised and established new nonimmigrant admission categories, revised and extended the Visa Waiver Pilot Program, and revised naturalization authority and requirements. -
Section 245(i) of the Legal Immigration Family Equity (LIFE) Act Grants Legalization to Qualifying Illegal Aliens
US Department of JusticeAdjustment of status under Section 245(i) is one of several immigration benefit provisions created by the Legal Immigration Family Equity Act and LIFE Act Amendments (LIFE Act) enacted on December 21, 2000... Section 245(i) allows certain persons who have an immigrant visa immediately available but entered without inspection or otherwise violated their status and thus are ineligible to apply for adjustment of status in the United States—to apply if they pay a $1,000 penalty. -
"Minuteman Project" Begins Recruiting Civilians to Patrol the US-Mexico Border
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Secure Fence Act Authorizes Fencing along the US-Mexican Border
The Act authorizes the construction of [700] hundreds of miles of double-layered fencing along the nation's Southern border. It also directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to take action to stop the unlawful entry of undocumented immigrants, terrorists, and contraband into the U.S. using both personnel and surveillance technology. -
Controversial Arizona Bill (SB 1070) Signed into Law, Expanding the State's Authority to Combat Illegal Immigration
Under Arizona's new law, to take effect in 90 days, it will be a state crime to be in the country illegally, and legal immigrants will be required to carry paperwork proving their status. Arizona police will generally be required to question anyone they 'reasonably suspect' of being undocumented -- a provision that critics argue will lead to widespread racial profiling, but that supporters insist will give authorities the flexibility to enforce existing immigration laws -
President Obama Allows Illegal Immigrants Who Came to US as Children to Stay in the Country
Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children will be allowed to remain in the country without fear of deportation and able to work, under an executive action the Obama administration announced on Friday. -
US Supreme Court Upholds Centerpiece of 2010 Arizona Immigration Law, Rejects Other Provisions
The Supreme Court on Monday delivered a split decision on Arizona's tough 2010 immigration law, upholding its most hotly debated provision but blocking others on the grounds that they interfered with the federal government's role in setting immigration policy.
