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Immigration Timeline
| 1790 |
 |
The federal government requires two years of residency for naturalization |
| 1819 |
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Congress establishes reporting on immigration |
| 1868 |
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Japanese laborers arrive in Hawaii to work sugar cane fields.
(Japanese) |
| 1885 |
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Congress bans the admission of contract laborers. |
| 1907 |
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The U.S. and Japan form “Gentleman’s Agreement”
in which Japan ends issuance of passports to laborers; U.S. agrees not to prohibit Japanese immigration. |
| 1913 |
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California’s Alien Land Law rules that aliens “ineligible
to citizenship” were ineligible to own agricultural property. |
| 1915 |
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The Supreme Court rules in Ozawa v. United States first-generation
Japanese ineligible for citizenship and could not apply for naturalization |
| 1924 |
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Immigration Act of 1924: establishes fixed quotas of national
origin and eliminates Far East immigration |
| 1929 |
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Congress makes annual immigration quotas permanent. |
| 1941 |
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Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor galvanizes America’s
war effort; over 1,000 Japanese-American community leaders incarcerated for “national security”. |
| 1942 |
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President Franklin Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066: authorizes
building “relocation camps” for Japanese Americans living along the Pacific Coast. |
| 1948 |
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Supreme Court rules that California’s Alien Land Laws
prohibiting ownership of agricultural property violates the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
The United States
admits persons fleeing persecution in their native lands; allowing 205,000 refugees to enter within two years |
| 1952 |
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Immigration and Nationality Act: individuals of all races eligible for
naturalization; reaffirms national origins quota system, limits immigration from Eastern Hemisphere; establishes preferences
for skilled workers and relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens; and tightens security and screening standards
and procedures |
| 1953 |
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Congress amends 1948 refugee policy to allow for the admission
of 200,000 more refugees |
| 1980 |
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The Refugee Act redefines criteria and procedures for admitting
refugees |
| 1986 |
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Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) legalizes illegal
aliens residing in the U.S. unlawfully since 1982. |
| 1988 |
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Civil Liberties Act provides a presidential apology and compensation
of $20,000 to all Japanese-American survivors of the World War II internment camps. |
| 2001 |
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A memorial honoring Japanese-American veterans and detainees
opens on the edge of the Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C. |
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