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Pilgrim Landing
In December 1620, the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. Many of the people who settled in the New World came to escape religious persecution. Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact first instance of immigration into the United States, this event can be considered one of the firsts. -
Independence Day
The United States had declared independence on July 4th 1776. This was the official establishment of the nation that would become the “American dream” for many immigrants in the near future. -
The 1790 Naturalization Act
The 1790 Naturalization Act allowed an individual to apply for citizenship of the United States. Citizenship was granted if the person was a free white person of good character and living in the United States for two years. Once the court’s approved, an oath of allegiance was recorded. This article of legislation was strictly for whites and no slaves, indentured servants, or other people of color could benefit from it. -
The Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed on May 6, 1882 and it was the first major law restricting immigration into the United States. This law was extended in the form of the Geary Act and was not repealed until 1943. This was the first time that Federal law prohibited the entry of an ethnic working group. One reason that can be argued is that white Americans were intimidated by Chinese success and felt that they “endangered the good order of certain localities”. -
Ellis Island
Ellis Island was one of the first federal immigration stations. It was America’s largest and most active immigration station where over 12 million immigrants were processed. Ellis Island was an “Island of Hope” for some, and an “Island of Tears” for others. Ellis Island was opened in 1892 and closed in 1954. -
El Paso/Juarez Kerosene Baths
In 1917, initially due to a typhus outbreak, Mexican immigrants had to bathe and strip nude for an inspection, undergo lice treatment, and be treated with chemicals like kerosene– all in order to enter the United States. Only Mexican immigrants were subjected to these mandatory forced fumigations and bathes; not at Ellis Island, San Francisco-nowhere. These Baths continued for about four decades and this practice was finally stopped when health officials said the chemicals in use were dangerous. -
The 1917 Immigration Act
The 1917 Immigration Act (Asiatic Barred Zone Act) was passed by congress on February 5th 1917. This law restricted immigration of “undesirables” from other countries. A key aspect of the law restricted Asian immigration. Another major component included literacy tests and a tax of $8 per immigrant. -
The 1921 Emergency Quota Law
The 1921 Emergency Quota Law was an act seeking to temporarily limit the numbers of immigrants into the United States by imposing quotas based on country of birth. There were exceptions to the quotas but they did not apply to countries in the Asiatic Barred Zone. -
U.S. Border Patrol
On May 28, 1924, Congress passed the Labor Appropriation Act of 1924 which officially established the U.S. Border Patrol. The purpose of the U.S. Border Patrol was to secure the borders between inspection stations and seacoast. -
Unconstitutional Deportation of Mexican Americans in the 1930’s
In the 1930's Mexicans/Mexican Americans were sent to Mexico through repatriation which is the act of sending back people to their home country. This was an attempt to stop them from “draining” the government of public assistance & to “rid the country of those who were not ‘real’ Americans.” The repatriation campaign funded the passage to Mexico and many Mexicans were coerced into leaving. The Latino communities were scared & eventually avoided medical/government help for fear of being deported. -
The Bracero Program
The Bracero Program brought millions of Mexican guest workers to the United States in order to prevent labor shortages due to Word War II. This program was an agreement between Mexico and the United States which allowed Mexican men to enter the United States, legally, to work short term labor contracts. This would be the largest U.S. contract labor program. -
The Zoot Suit Riots of 1943
Zoot Suits were a distinct style of clothing worn by many Los Angeles youths, especially Mexican Americans. Tensions would grow between zoot suiters and white service men for reasons including the fact that white service men did not appreciate Mexican American’s frequenting ‘whites only’ places. The racially charged atmosphere led to riots that involved white servicemen/civilians attacking Latinos/Blacks/Filipinos. Newspapers claimed the racial attacks were a response to immigration crime waves. -
Arizona Proposition 203
Arizona Proposition 203, or the English Language Education for Children in Public School Act, was on the November 7th, 2000 election ballot in Arizona. Prop 203 would repeal the existing bilingual education laws and would require that all classes be taught in English. There would be exceptions to this law and pupils classified as “English Learners” would be taught through sheltered English immersion programs. -
The Secure Fence Act
George W. Bush signed The Secure Fence Act. According to Bush, the bill was important in order to protect the American people and to make the borders more secure. He stated it was an important step towards immigration reform. This bill authorized the construction of fencing along the border which would serve as the first step towards a comprehensive immigration reform. -
Arizona SB 1070
In April 2010, Arizona enacted SB1070 which officially became effective on July 29, 2010. Some provisions of SB1070 included: state law officers determining immigration status during any lawful stop; the requirement to carry alien registration documents; permission for warrant-less arrests if there is probable cause; etc. A major issue regards how “reasonable suspicion of immigrant status” will be interpreted. SB 1070 has been commonly associated with racial profiling especially towards Latinos. -
DACA / DAPA
On November 20, 2014, the Secretary of Homeland Security issued a new policy that would allow certain illegal aliens apply for deferred action. Deferred action would allow aliens to seek permission to work lawfully in the United States without being removed from the country.
