Immigration Legislation 1940-80

Question 1

1940 Alien Registration Act

Answer 1

Requires non-citizens to register with the federal government as a wartime measure, later turned ‘green card’ system, which entitles them to live and work in USA indefinitely, only going to those processed and registered by the immigration service

Question 2

1948 Displaced Persons Act (extended 1950)

Answer 2

Allows for the immigration of 415,000 people displaced by the war over four years, but within the quota limit (Congress blocked Trumans attempt to separate these numbers)

Question 3

1952 Immigration and Nationality Act (McCarran-Walter Act)

Answer 3

Revises the terms of immigration; retains 150,000 limit and quota system based on the 1920 census, though many arguing against it as 85% of immigrants came from Northern and Western Europe; allows for 100,000 Asian immigrants; doesn’t apply to the Western Hemisphere

Question 4

1953 Refugee Relief Act

Answer 4

Extends the 1948 Displaced Persons Act, allowing for 214,000 refugees from Europe; dealt with outside the set quota

Question 5

1954 Operation Wetback

Answer 5

The mass deportation of illegal (unregistered) immigrants, mostly Mexicans

Question 6

1957 Refugee-Escapee Act

Answer 6

Expanded refugee legislation to cover those escaping from communist countries

Question 7

1965 Immigration and Nationality Act (Hart-Celler Act)

Answer 7

Abolishes quotas; sets a limits of 170,000 immigrants a year and more Asian citizens are allowed in outside this limit; still does not apply to the Western Hemisphere

Question 8

1966 Cuban Adjustment Act

Answer 8

Gives citizenship to Cubans entering the country after 1959

Question 9

1968 Armed Forces Naturalisation Act

Answer 9

• Amends the 1965 Act to make anyone a US citizen who has fought for the USA in the First World War, Korea or Vietnam (or any other war)
• Around 10,000 people a year in 1969 and 1970 became a US citizen as a result

Question 10

1976 Immigration and Nationality Act expanded

Answer 10

Expands to include the Western Hemisphere for the first time; the number of immigrants allowed in is 20,000

Question 11

1961

Answer 11

Kennedy allowed 14,000 more Chinese into the USA

Question 12

1964

Answer 12

Johnson ended the Bracero Programme

Question 13

1975 Indochinese Migration and Refugee Assistance Act

Answer 13

Helped settle some of the refugees in the USA

Question 14

1980 Refugee Act

Answer 14

Provided for the admission of 50,000 refugees per annum and said 5,000 persons within the US could apply for political asylum