Many acts of Congress and executive actions relating to immigration to the United States and citizenship of the United States have been enacted in the United States. Most immigration and nationality laws are codified in Title 8 of the United States Code.
Acts of Congress YearTitleDescriptionPublic law1790Naturalization Act of 1790Established the rules for naturalized citizenship, as per Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. Citizenship was limited to white persons, with no other restriction on non-whites. 1795Naturalization Act of 1795Lengthened required residency to become citizen.1798Naturalization Act of 1798Extended the duration of residence required for immigrants to become citizens to 14 years.1798Alien Friends ActAuthorized the president to deport any resident immigrant considered "dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States." It was activated June 25, 1798, with a two-year expiration date.1798Alien Enemies ActAuthorized the president to apprehend and deport resident aliens if their home countries were at war with the United States of America. Enacted July 6, 1798, and providing no sunset provision, the act remains intact today as R.S. § 4067-4070 (50 U.S.C. 21-24)1802Naturalization Law of 1802Repealed the Naturalization Act of 1798.1819Steerage Act of 1819Required ship captains to report on all passengers entering the United States by port.1855Carriage of Passengers Act of 18551864An Act to Encourage ImmigrationThe first major law to encourage immigration1866Civil Rights Act of 1866Established birthright citizenship in the United States1866Sent the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution for ratification by the states. The amendment was ratified in 1868, establishing birthright citizenship as constitutional law under the Citizenship Clause.1868Expatriation Act of 1868Affirmed the right to relinquish American nationality.1870Naturalization Act of 1870 Extended the naturalization process to "aliens of African nativity and to persons of African descent." Other non-whites were not included in this act and remained excluded from naturalization, per the Naturalization Act of 17901875Page Act of 1875Prohibited the immigration of coolie laborers and prostitutes from East Asia, and also anyone convicted of a criminal offense in their country of origin.1882Chinese Exclusion ActRestricted immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years and provided for the deportation of those whom immigrated in violation of the Act. Prohibited Chinese naturalization. The Act was "a response to racism [in America] and to anxiety about threats from cheap labor [from China]."James P. Smith and Barry Edmonston, Eds. The New Americans: Economic, Demographic, and Fiscal Effects of Immigration, (1997). The National Academic Press. page 23, 3rd paragraph. .1882Passenger Act of 18821882Immigration Act of 1882Imposed a 50 cent head tax to fund immigration officials.1885Alien Contract Labor LawProhibited the importation and migration of foreigners and aliens under contract or agreement to perform labor in the United States1887Payson Act of 1887Restricted ownership of land to citizens and those undergoing naturalization.1888Scott ActProhibited Chinese people that had resided in America from returning after leaving.1888Authorized the federal government to deport illegal immigrants within one year of their entry to the United States.1891Immigration Act of 1891First comprehensive immigration laws for the US. Bureau of Immigration set up in the Treasury Dept. Immigration Bureau directed to deport illegal immigrants Empowered "the superintendent of immigration to enforce immigration laws". Prohibited polygamists and those with contagious diseases from entering the United States. Expanded immigration enforcement to land borders.1892Geary ActExtended and strengthened the Chinese Exclusion Act.1893Required additional information about individuals entering the United States.1903Anarchist Exclusion ActAdded four inadmissible classes: anarchists, people with epilepsy, beggars, and importers of prostitutes1906Naturalization Act of 1906 Standardized naturalization procedures Made some knowledge of English a requirement for citizenship Established the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization1907Immigration Act of 1907Restricted immigration for certain classes of disabled and diseased people1907Expatriation Act of 19071917Immigration Act of 1917 (Barred Zone Act)Restricted immigration from Asia by creating an "Asiatic Barred Zone" and introduced a literacy test for all immigrants over sixteen years of age, with certain exceptions for children, wives, and elderly family members.1917Jones–Shafroth ActIncluded a provision extending birthright citizenship to anyone born in Puerto Rico after April 11, 1899.1918Immigration Act of 1918Expanded on the provisions of the Anarchist Exclusion Act.1920Passport Act of 19201921Emergency Quota ActLimited the number of immigrants a year from any country to 3% of those already in the US from that country as per the 1910 census, establishing the National Origins Formula. "An unintended consequence of the 1920s legislation was an increase in illegal immigration. Many Europeans who did not fall under the quotas migrated to Canada or Mexico, which [as Western Hemisphere nations] were not subject to national-origin quotas; [and] subsequently they slipped into the United States illegally."James P. Smith and Barry Edmonston, Eds. The New Americans: Economic, Demographic, and Fiscal Effects of Immigration, (1997). The National Academic Press. page 26, 4th paragraph. .1922The Cable Act of 1922 (Married Women's Independent Nationality Act)Reversed former immigration laws regarding marriage, also known as the Married Women's Citizenship Act or the Women's Citizenship Act. Previously, a woman lost her US citizenship if she married a foreign man, since she assumed the citizenship of her husband, a law that did not apply to men who married foreign women. The law repealed sections 3 and 4 of the Expatriation Act of 1907.1924Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson-Reed Act)Created the United States Border Patrol. Imposed first permanent numerical limit on immigration. Began a national-origin quota system. Total annual immigration was capped at 150,000. Immigrants fit into two categories: those from quota-nations and those from non-quota nations. Immigrant visas from quota-nations were restricted to the same ratio of residents from the country of origin out of 150,000 as the ratio of foreign-born nationals in the United States. The percentage out of 150,000 was the relative number of visas a particular nation received. Non-quota nations, notably those contiguous to the United States only had to prove an immigrant's residence in that country of origin for at least two years prior to emigration to the United States. Laborers from Asiatic nations were excluded but exceptions existed for professionals, clergy, and students to obtain visas.1924Indian Citizenship ActGranted citizenship to Native Americans in the United States.1926Passport Act of 19261934Tydings–McDuffie ActGranted independence to the Philippines territory. Recognized all Filipinos as foreigners. Established a quota of 50 Filipino immigrants annually.1934Equal Nationality Act of 1934Allowed foreign-born children of American mothers and alien fathers who had entered America before age 18 and lived in America for five years to apply for American citizenship for the first time. Made the naturalization process quicker for American women's alien husbands.1940Alien Registration Act (Smith Act)Included a requirement that non-citizen residents register with the government and be fingerprinted.1940Nationality Act of 1940Pertains chiefly to "Nationality at Birth," Nationality through Naturalization," and "Loss of Nationality"1943Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943 (Magnuson Act)Repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act and permitted Chinese nationals already in the country to become naturalized citizens. A quota of 105 new Chinese immigrants were allowed into America per year.1944Renunciation Act of 19441945War Brides ActExempted spouses and children of American service-members from immigration quota restrictions.1946Alien Fiancées and Fiancés ActExtended the War Brides Act to citizens of the Philippines and India.1946Luce–Celler ActIncreased the quota from the Philippines and India to 100 immigrants annually. Permitted Filipino and Indian immigrants to be naturalized.1947Extended the War Brides Act to Japan and Korea.1948Displaced Persons ActGranted permanent residence to displaced persons from Europe.1950Lodge–Philbin Act1952Immigration and Nationality Act (McCarran-Walter Act) Set a quota for aliens with skills needed in the US. Increased the power of the government to deport illegal immigrants suspected of Communist sympathies.1953Refugee Relief Act1958Facilitated permanent immigrant status for refugees from the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.1960Authorized resettlement of certain refugees.1961Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 19611962Migration and Refugee Assistance Act1965Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Hart-Celler Act)Repealed the national-origin quotas. Initiated a visa system for family reunification and skills. Set a quota for Western Hemisphere immigration. Set a 20k country limit for Eastern Hemisphere aliens.1966Cuban Adjustment ActCuban nationals who enter, or were already present in the United States, legal status.19701974Increased funding for border enforcement facilities from $100,000 to $200,000.1974Repealed 8 U.S.C. 331–339.1975Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance ActAdmitted refugees from South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia and funded relocation programs.1975Granted certain immigrant children adopted by unmarried citizens the same immigration status as such children adopted by married citizens.1976Set a quota of 170,000 annual immigrants from the Western Hemisphere and 120,000 annual immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere.1978Eliminated the hemispheric quota system for immigration. Established the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy.1978Required approval by an adoption agency before an immigrant visa is issued for international adoption. Removed the cap on the number of alien children that can be adopted. Eased naturalization requirements for adopted children.1978Banned the entry of any person that carried out persecution under the government of Nazi Germany.1980Refugee Act Created a policy for admitting refugees with the United Nations’ definition of refugees Set an annual cap of 50,000 refugees.19801981Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 19811982Virgin Islands Nonimmigrant Alien Adjustment Act of 1981Granted resident status to certain non-citizens that have resided in the Virgin Islands since 1975.1982Gave priority to visas for residents of Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand that were fathered by American citizens.1982Refugee Assistance Amendments of 19821986Authorized each state governor to select two residents of their state to be naturalized on Ellis Island.1986Authorized crewmen of foreign fishing vessels to temporarily enter Guam as nonimmigrant aliens.1986Immigration Reform and Control Act (Simpson–Mazzoli Act)Started sanctions for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. Provided amnesty to some illegal immigrants already in the US. Increased border enforcement. Made it a crime to hire an illegal immigrant Created a path to permanent residency for some illegal immigrant workers