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The Evolution of naturalization laws for immigrants in the United States

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Evolution of naturalization laws
Evolution of naturalization laws
Evolution of naturalization laws
Evolution of naturalization laws for immigrants in the United States. Stock image.

The Evolution of naturalization laws for immigrants in the United States: With the current concern of illegal immigration a regard of naturalization laws helps give light to the US shifting position on immigration.

Immigration has been existing in the United States since the 1700s, the only difference between then and nowadays is that immigrants were very few in the olden days while there are many nowadays. On the other hand, naturalization has been existing since the 1700s. Naturalization has some laws and procedures backing it, the laws have been amended over the years into the naturalization laws nowadays. Below are the evolutions of the naturalization laws in the United States:

Naturalization Act 

The naturalization act made it possible for “free white people” alone because of the racism in the United States at that time, the law allowed any white person who has lived in the United States for two years to apply for naturalization.

In 1790, the law was amended by stating that only free white persons that have lived in the country for five years could apply for naturalization. The law was amended again in 1795 by stating that only whites that have lived in the country for 14 years were eligible and it was later amended back to the previous law which stated that whites that have lived in the country for five years are eligible in 1802.

Alien Friends Law of 1798

In 1798, the Alien Friends law was enacted. The law brought deportation of immigrants to existence for the first time as it gave the president of the country the power to deport or incarcerate any immigrant that is deemed dangerous to the peace of the country. The law’s existence was short lived as it was canceled in the year 1800.

Alien Enemies Law of 1798 

This law was enacted to protect the citizens of the country when the country is at war with another country. The law stated that the country has the right to incarcerate or deport male citizens of enemy countries that are of age (14 upward). The law was enacted due to what the country experienced during her civil war. The law was used during the Second World War, which made countries like Germany, Japan, etc. imprison citizens of enemy countries.

Naturalization Law of 1870

Contrary to the naturalization law of 1790 that allowed only “free white people” to apply for naturalization, the naturalization law of 1870 was mainly to address the issue of racism in the previous law. The law of 1870 made people of African descent eligible for naturalization.

If you are traveling to the United States of America and your country is among the visa waiver countries, you will need to submit ESTA at the port of entry. This will give you access to the USA. Before booking a flight, you should find an answer to the question, how long is my ESTA valid?

The immigration law 

Another immigration law was enacted to check the issue of forced labor that became very common in the country. The reason why this law is also known as the Asian exclusion law is that the majority of the immigrants that were engaged in forced labor were the Asians. The law stood against the importation of forced Asian workers to the country and immigration of criminals to the country.

Chinese Exclusion Law of 1882 

This law stated that all Chinese laborers had been banned from immigrating to the United States for ten years. Chinese immigrants who lived in the country as of 17th November 1880 were allowed to stay in the country while banned from naturalizing.

The 1917 Immigration Law

This ban placed a ban on the majority of the countries in Asia due to their involvement in forced labor and exportation of forced laborers. Only two countries were excluded from being banned; the two countries were the Philippines that was a colony of the United States and Japan who canceled the exportation of laborers due to the gentlemen’s pact of the year 1907.

The Labor Appropriation Law of 1924

This law established the United States Border Patrol as a legal government agency whose duty is to fight against illegal immigration and smuggling of contrabands into the country. The law and the new agency were established due to the sudden increase of smuggling and illegal immigration in the country.

The Bracero Agreement of 1942

This law was as a result of a pact signed by the United States and Mexico in 1942 due to allow Mexican laborers to work in the United States temporarily as agricultural laborers due to the labor shortage caused by the Second World War.

The Immigration Law of 1952

This law removed nationality as a thing that is considered for visa approval and naturalization applications.

Illegal Immigration Reform Law of 1996

This law strengthened the enforcement of border security and interior security against illegal immigration by bringing the idea of building fences at the areas where illegal immigration is common.

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