Asian American Immigration History

This page lists the summary of congressional acts and judicial rulings affecting immigration and naturalization of Asian Americans.

[edit] Congressional Acts

1882 Chinese Exclusion Act Cessation of immigration from China
1917 Asiatic Barred Zone Act Cessation of immigration to the U.S. from mostly Asian countries, including the region of British India.
1943 Magnuson Act Resumption of naturalization rights to Chinese Americans and immigration permitted from China
1946 Luce-Celler Act Resumption of naturalization rights to Indian Americans and Filipino Americans. Token immigration allowed, quota set at 100 per year from India and 100 per year from the Philippines
1965 Immigration and Nationality Services (INS) Act of 1965 Elimination of racial/nationality-based discrimination in immigration quotas.

1898 United States v. Wong Kim Ark A US-born son of Chinese immigrants was ruled to be a US citizen under the 14th Amendment; the Chinese Exclusion Act was held not to apply to someone born in the US.
1922 Takao Ozawa v. United States Japanese despite being light-skinned are deemed not-white and thereby exempt from rights and privileges of naturalization.
1923 United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind Indians despite being anthropologically Caucasian are ruled to be not-white and further ruled to instead be Asian, thereby subjecting them to pre-existing anti-Asian laws