1. Immigration Policy
Chapter 14
Section 1

2. Section 1 Immigration Policy
The Constitution clearly gives Congress the power to make immigration policy.
In 1882 Congress passed the first major law that barred entrance to specific groups because the California Gold Rush and railroad building had attracted many immigrants.

3. Section 1 Immigration Policy (cont.)
Immigration is a major political issue for two reasons:
there are many undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.; and
terrorism.
Immigration to the United States

5. Section 1 Immigration Policy (cont.)
In 1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act which said that no Chinese laborer could enter the United States for 10 years.
The Immigration Act of 1924 introduced a quota system by country. During the next 40 years, immigration dropped sharply.

6. Section 1 Immigration Policy (cont.)
In 1965 Congress passed the Immigration Reform Act, abolishing the quota system based on national origin.
The new law was driven by two principles:
reunifying families; and
giving priority to certain skills.

7. Section 1 Immigration Policy (cont.)
President Reagan’s Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 had a dual purpose:
punishing employers who knowingly hired undocumented immigrants; and
offering a way for long-term, undocumented immigrants to become legal.

8. Section 1 Immigration Policy (cont.)
The Immigration Act of 1990 said that no country could account for more than 7 percent of total immigrants.

9. Section 1 Current Political Debate
As illegal immigration continues across the southwestern border, the immigration debate continues.
Employers in agriculture and construction do not want the flow of low-cost labor stopped.
Others, often Americans with few skills, worry that a steady stream of undocumented workers will depress their wages.

10. Section 1 Current Political Debate (cont.)
Many Republicans argued that President George W. Bush’s proposed immigration bill offered amnesty—or forgiveness—rather than harsh penalties.

11. Section 1
Aliens
An alien is the term for someone who lives in a country where he or she is not a citizen.
Under the law there are five categories of aliens:
A resident alien is a foreigner who has established permanent residency in the U.S.
Nonresident aliens are people who expect to stay for a short, specified time.

12. Section 1
Aliens (cont.)
Enemy aliens are citizens of nations that are at war with the U.S.
Refugees are people fleeing persecution or danger from their home country.
Undocumented aliens are people who are illegally in the U.S.
The Bill of Rights protects anyone living in the United States, even enemy aliens.