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Passed a law defining who could become a citizen if a person was not born here: Citizenship was possible only for someone who was a free white person.
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Period of immigration in American history when some 25 million immigrants arrived.
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Said that no Chinese laborer could enter the United States for 10 years. The act was in force until World War II.
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Introduced that each country's immigrants were limited to 2 percent of foreign born residents from that country listed in the U.S. Census of 1890.
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Allowed only a certain amount of people from each country to enter the U.S. per year.
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Abolishing the quota system based on national origin. When Johnson signed the reform bill, he referred to the old system as un-American.
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Legalized illegal immigrants who entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and had resided there continuously with the penalty of a fine, back taxes due, and admission of guilt. About three million illegal immigrants were granted legal status.
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Said that no country could account for more than 7 percent of total immigrants. Set up special categories for war refugees or close relatives of American citizens.
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Increased the border patrol staff and stiffened penalties for creating false citizenshp papers or smuggling undocumented workers.
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Fill short term labor needs through a guest worker program and strengthened border control.