Today Mr. Stewart mentioned that immigration was nearly halted during the 1930s and Great Depression era. I decided to do some more research about the evolving U.S. immigration and naturalization policies throughout history.
Due to wars and other major events, U.S. immigration/naturalization policies have been in a constant state of flux. They're more lenient, then stringent, then lenient again, continuously adapting alongside the mindset of the American people. Here are some of the major changes:
1790: any free white person could apply for citizenship after living in America for 2 years
1798: 14 years of residency were required before citizenship could be granted, under the Alien and Sedition Acts (later changed to 5 years)
1819: first significant federal legislation dealing with immigration
1857: Dred Scot decision declared African Americans non-citizens
1868: African Americans granted citizenship under the 14th Amendment
1875: all state immigration laws ruled unconstitutional (Henderson v. Mayor of New York)
1882: Chinese Exclusion Act stopped Chinese immigration for 10 years, and prevented citizenship of American residents of Chinese descent (later renewed indefinitely)
1891: Bureau of Immigration founded
1892: Ellis Island opened to screen immigrants coming to the East Coast
1905: Angel Island Immigration Station opened as the "Ellis Island of the West" to limit Chinese immigration
1906: English language requirement to enter the country
1907: Gentleman's Agreement between Japan and U.S. to limit Japanese immigration
1917: immigrants required to pass a literacy test before entering the country
1921: Quota Act limited immigration from each country to 3% of those present in the U.S. in 1910 (later changed to 2% of those present in 1890)
1922: Japanese ineligible for citizenship
1924: Native Americans awarded citizenship; border patrol established
1940: fingerprinting and registration of all immigrants
1943: Chinese Exclusion Act repealed
1948: Displaced Persons Act permitted 205,000 refugees to enter the U.S.
1952: Immigration and Nationality Act eliminated race as a basis for refusal of citizenship
1965: Hart-Celler Act ended national origins quotas
1980: Refugee Act ended priority immigration for refugees
1986: amnesty provided for many illegal aliens
2001: Patriot Act broadened the basis for deportation/ineligibility of admission on the grounds of in terrorist activity
Any thoughts on immigration policy during the Great Depression Era? Current immigration/naturalization policy? Share your opinions in the comments!
Source: http://www.flowofhistory.org/themes/movement_settlement/uspolicytimeline.php
Adding on to the whole discussion of immigration, during the summer, there was the media frenzy about what to do with the 68,000 Central American children that flooded into the US. On November 14, Washington announced a new program that would allow some children to apply for refugee status. However, the program caps the number allowed at 4,000 and has strict requirements. About 2,500 people are expected to apply. Meanwhile, the fates of the other 60,000+ children are still being debated by politicians in Washington.
ReplyDeleteI wonder when we will know what the government will do with these children?
DeleteIt doesn't seem like any sort of provision for immigrants to stay in the U.S. will be made. Recently, the House passed a bill blocking Obama's plan to allow millions of would-be deported immigrants to stay in the U.S. According to one key Republican figure, "Two weeks ago, President Obama declared war against the Constitution by changing our immigration laws on his own, and Congress today began its fight against this unprecedented power grab." I'm sure it's not entirely true-FDR, Lyndon Johnson-but it shows how politics has become such a barrier to progress; the underlying truth is that U.S.'s citizenship laws aren't going to be changed anytime soon. Not sure if there even is a solution.
ReplyDeleteThis helps us understand the constant dilemma the government administration has with trying to regulate immigration to the nation. Last year in English, Jesus discussed how illegal Mexican immigration worked, and what he shared was very enlightening. To summarize, crossing the border is an extremely fatal situation. First, you have to get past the guards of the fence, without being killed. On top of this, the ways to do this are rather risky themselves. The options he talked about included the hole, the train, and the truck. Digging a hole large enough for a person to crawl under the fence is an extremely laborious and taxing activity. On top of this, assuming they make it past the fence without being caught, they have to walk on foot through the deserts of southern California. The other ways, the train and the truck, require being squished in with hundreds of others trying to go the same place you are. However, due to a limited lack of resources on the two forms of transportation, people often kill others in these compact cars. Crossing the border is extremely risky, but thousands do it every year to find work to support their family. Overall, according to Pew Research, we have 11.7 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. By trying to regulate the influx of people, while still upholding the idea of the American dream of hope (in this case for the immigrants who put their safety on the line just to help their families survive), the government has enacted some very controversial legislation.
ReplyDeleteHere is the website he made http://jamador1345.wix.com/immigration-porject-#!books/cnec
Delete