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Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Stopped entry of Chinese immigrants into the United States for 10 years. The first to establish the federal government's right to restrict immigration based on nationalities. -
1888 & 1891
Allowed the national government not only to exclude certain individuals-convicts, prostitutes, and insane persons, for example-but also to deport aliens who entered the country in violation of these immigration laws. -
Quota Act of 1921
Limited the annual number of immigrants from each nationality to 3% of the number of foreign-born persons of that nationality who were living in the United States in 1910.Did not appy to to ceratin catagories of educated people like doctors and lawyers. Most Asian groups were not included, so they chould not immigrate. Immigration from the Western Hemisphere was also unrestricted. -
Immigration Act of 1924 and National Origins Act of 1929
Established a new quota system for each nationality and set a limit on the total number of immigrants to be allowed entry at all (150,000 per year). -
1965
Eliminated quotas based on national origin. As many as 270,000 immigrants could be admitted each year without regard to nationality, country of origin, or race. No more than 20,000 persons could come from ane one country, however. Close relatives of American citizens were given special status, as were aliens with specialized occupational talents. -
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
Imposed severe penalties on employers who willfully hired illegal aliens. Employers who repeatedly violated this law can be jailed for up to 6 months. -
Amnesty Program 1987-1988
Illegal aliens who could prove that they had been in this country continuously for at least five years could apply to obtain temporary legal residency status. Eighteen months later, they could apply for permenant residency. Eventually they could apply for citizenship. -
Immigration Act of 1990
Raised legal immigration levels by about 40% to 700,000 per year. Stressed family reunification, provided legal status for certain illegal immigrants, and struck down barriers blobking people with certain political beliefs from entry. Most significant- tripled the number of visas (to about 140,000 a year) granted to highly skilled professionals, such as engineers, researchers, and scientists. -
1994 - Proposition 187
Denied public social services, publicly funded health care, and public education to people whowere suspected of being illegal aliens. Required that individuals who were suspected of being illegal aliens be interviewed, questioned, and forced to produce legal residency documents. Required all law enforcement agencies in California to report anyone suspected of being in the United States illegally. -
Immigration Reform Act of 1996
Put into effect a number of provisions to stem illegal immigration. Would have forced hundereds of thousands of illegal immigrants and refugees to leave the United States. -
Welfare Reform Act of 1996
Prohibited immigrants, including legal immigrants who are not yet citizens, from receving most forms of public assistance, including welfare benifits. -
1997
Many refugees automatically became eligible for permanent legall residence. Other illegal immigrants were allowed to remain in the United States while the government processed their applications for permanent legal residence. Additionally, immigrants were again made eligible for public-assistance benifits.
