| Immigration And Nationality Services Act Of 1965 |
Article Index for Immigration And |
Shopping Nationality |
Website Links For Immigration |
Information AboutImmigration And Nationality Services Act Of 1965 |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT OF 1965 | |
| united states federal immigration and nationality legislation | |
| 1965 in law | |
| history of the united states 1964–1980 | |
|
An annual limitation of 170,000 visas was established for immigrants from Eastern Hemisphere countries with no more than 20,000 per country. By 1968, the annual limitation from the Western Hemisphere was set at 120,000 immigrants, with visas available on a First-come, First-served basis. However, the number of Family Reunification visas was unlimited, and quickly led to Chain Immigration . This Contravened the intention of family reunification visas, which were designed to end the separation of U.S. citizens from their families. In the Democratic-controlled Congress, the House Of Representatives voted 326 to 69 in favor of the act while the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 76 to 18. President Lyndon Johnson signed the legislation into law. The Act was influenced by the Civil Rights Movement . The Chinese Exclusion Act restricted immigration from Asia from 1882 until 1943 when the Magnuson Act was passed due to China's alliance with the United States during World War II . Increasing numbers of Asian immigrants began arriving after the INS Act raised the quotas set by the Magnuson Act, renewing Asian communities that had nearly died out. During debate on the Senate floor, Senator Kennedy, speaking of the effects of the act, said, "...our cities will not be flooded with a million immigrants annually.... Secondly, the ethnic mix of this country will not be upset...." The act's supporters not only claimed the law would not change America's ethnic makeup, but that such a change was not desirable. However, in the end, this act dramatically changed the face of American society by making it a multicultural, multiethnic nation. Prior to the act, the United States was overwhelmingly composed of whites of European descent (89% in 1965), with the only minority group of significant size being blacks (10%). Since the implementation of the law, the relative proportion of the white population has been in steady decline, with whites projected to lose their majority status during the 21st century. Hispanics, a group composed of Spanish-speaking whites, blacks, indigenous tribes, and those of mixed ancestry have replaced English-speaking African Americans as the largest minority in the U.S. There has also been enormous growth of immigration from non-European nations since the implementation of the law. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|