1924 Immigration Act
The 1924 act became the lasting-policy for immigration until 1965. This act was a major revision of its predecessor, however it rested on the same numerical limitation. The quota was reduced to 2%, curbing numbers even further. This act clarified specific non-quota groups and placed emphasis on naturalization of immigrants.
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"The numerical restrictions provided for in the 3 per cent Act of May 19, 1921 were drastic, yet the emergency demanded action. The law itself worked many hardships for it was not perfect....The quota law based on the census of 1910 was not based on historical facts, and therefore, at base, was a makeshift affair. " – "Immigration Restriction: A Study of the Opposition to and Regulation of Immigration into the United States", 1927. [1\ |
United States, Congress, House. 1924 Immigration Act. Government Printing Office, 1924. [4]
Indeed, the act based the quotas on the 1890 census from thirty decades ago, marking a clear attempt to revert back to earlier immigration patterns in which the majority of immigrants came from “desirable” northern and western Europe.
"The law recently enacted is designed to protect the inhabitants of our country, not only the American citizen, but also the alien already with us who is seeking to secure an economic foothold for himself and family from the competition that would come from unrestricted immigration" |