Cold War Immigration Essay

752 Words4 Pages

ϖ 1880- Immigrants begin pouring in. The U.S population climbs to 50,155,783. More than 5.2 million immigrants enter the U.S in the next ten years. Many immigrants flock to cities for factory work, aiding the rise of the U.S as an economic leader. ϖ 1882- Chinese Exclusion Act is first federal immigration law and suspends Chinese immigration for 10 years. It also prevents the naturalization of Chinese people. ϖ 1889- Jane Addams (an activist and Nobel Peace Prize Winner) creates the Hull House in Chicago. Her goal is to help the poor immigrants and laborers of the working-class better integrate and prosper. ϖ 1891- Bureau of Immigration established. ϖ 1892- Ellis island is opened to screen immigrants entering via the East coast. Some people …show more content…

President Truman was an advocate for aiding refugees and said, "I urge the Congress to turn its attention to this world problem in an effort to find ways whereby we can fulfill our responsibilities to these thousands of homeless and suffering refugees of all faiths." However, priority was given to those from the Baltic States and some discrimination was present against Catholics and Jews. ϖ 1956-1957 The U.S admits 38,000 Hungarian refugees fleeing from a failed uprising against the soviets. These were the first of the Cold War refugees. ϖ 1965- Following growing calls for immigration reforms, Lyndon Johnson signs Hart-Cellar Act into law. This removes the quota system that favored Western Europe. Fair immigration was part of Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society”. A substantial change in the U.S immigration policy began. The Immigration and Nationalization Act of 1965 that soon followed quadrupled the amount of Asian immigration. Refugees from all over the world turn to the U.S. Visas were set at 170,000/year per country. ϖ 1986- Immigration Reform and Control Act. This act grants amnesty to illegal immigrant who came to U.S before 1982. Furthermore, it provides sanctions for employers hiring illegal