Immigration And The United States - 2151 Words

Immigration is one of the most heated topics in the U.S. political and social agenda and usually evokes strong polar opinions in the American society, in part due to its complex composition of peoples and cultures. It is precisely due to this fact, that the interpreters and translators working in the field of Immigration must be familiar not only with the basic types of immigration hearings, but have an understanding of the history of Immigration in the United States, different types of visas and statuses as well as paths to Permanent Residency and Citizenship. This Unit will provide you with the condensed knowledge of the main events in the United States history, explain the difference between the numerous types of visas and inform you†¦show more content†¦1. HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION The United States of America has a rich immigration history, dating back to the 18th century, where there were virtually no immigration restrictions, making the U.S. a kaleidoscope of ethnic and cultural groups it is today. Following the Civil War, several U.S. states made initial attempts in regulating immigration, which led to the 1875 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to make the immigration a federal responsibility, thus launching a chain of Immigration laws and regulations leading us to today. The first immigration law, the Page Act of 1875 (aka the Asian Exclusion Act) was passed in 1875 and prohibited the importation of Asian contract workers, any Asian women who would engage in prostitution and everybody who is considered to be a convict in their own county. The Page Act of 1875 was followed by the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited Chinese contract laborers to immigrate to the United States, as well as Alien Contract Labor laws of 1885 and 1887, both of which broadened the laborers exclusion list. Soon after, the increasingly complex immigration laws established by the federal government led to the creation of the Office of the Superintendent of Immigration within the Treasure Department. The newly organized government office inspected, admitted or rejected as well as processed all the newly arriving immigrants. January 2nd, 1892 marked the opening of the famous immigration station located on Ellis Island in the