The emergency immigration restrictions in 1921 were made more restrictive with the
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World War I and fears of the spread of radicalism produced enough pressure for Congress and the White House to act decisively to reduce immigration severely. Drawing on eugenics research and recommendations of the Dillingham Commission (1907-1911), this temporary measure limited immigration “scientifically” by imposing quotas based on immigrants’ country of birth. Annual quotas
for each country of origin were calculated at 3 percent of the total number of foreign-born persons from that country recorded in the 1910 census. This approach to immigration restriction was immediately effective in reducing numbers although it caused disarray and confusion among aspiring immigrants who were abruptly denied entry because they traveled after annual quota allocations were filled. CHAP. 8 .-An Act To limit the immigration of aliens into the United
States Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled . . . . SEC. 2 . (a) That the number of aliens of any nationality who may be admitted under the immigration laws to the United States in any fiscal year shall be limited to 3 per centum of the number of foreign-born persons of such nationality resident in the United States as determined by the United States census of 1910… (b) For the purposes of this Act
nationality shall be determined by country of birth, treating as separate countries the colonies or dependencies for which separate enumeration was made in the United States census of 1910… SEC. 3 . That the Commissioner General of Immigration, with the approval of the Secretary of Labor, shall, as soon as feasible after the enactment of this Act, and from time to time thereafter, prescribe rules and regulations necessary to carry the provisions of this Act into effect . ‘He shall, as
soon as feasible after the enactment of this Act, publish a statement showing the number of aliens of the various nationalities who may be admitted to the United States between the date this Act becomes effective and the end of the current fiscal year, and on June 30 thereafter he shall publish a statement showing the number of aliens of the various nationalities who may be admitted during the ensuing fiscal year… Who Was Shut Out?: Immigration Quotas, 1925–1927In response to growing public opinion against the flow of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe in the years following World War I, Congress passed first the Quota Act of 1921 then the even more restrictive Immigration Act of 1924 (the Johnson-Reed Act). Initially, the 1924 law imposed a total quota on immigration of 165,000—less than 20 percent of the pre-World War I average. It based ceilings on the number of immigrants from any particular nation on the percentage of each nationality recorded in the 1890 census—a blatant effort to limit immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe, which mostly occurred after that date. In the first decade of the 20th century, an average of 200,000 Italians had entered the United States each year. With the 1924 Act, the annual quota for Italians was set at less than 4,000. This table shows the annual immigration quotas under the 1924 Immigration Act.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United States (Washington, D.C. Government Printing Office, 1929), 100. See Also:Not All Caucasians Are White: The Supreme Court Rejects Citizenship for Asian Indians How did the government restrict immigration in the 1920s?The Immigration Act of 1924 limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States through a national origins quota. The quota provided immigration visas to two percent of the total number of people of each nationality in the United States as of the 1890 national census.
What caused the Emergency Quota Act of 1921?Fears of increased immigration after the end of World War I and the spread of radicalism propelled Congress to enact this "emergency" measure imposing drastic quantitative caps on immigration.
What was the US immigration policy prior to 1921?The bill's provisions favored family members of U.S. citizens by exempting admissions of certain immediate relatives. Before 1921, immigration laws pertained primarily to which immigrants to exclude, while any immigrant not specifically excluded could migrate.
Who was involved in the Immigration Act of 1921?Warren Harding (1865-1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 to 1923. He signed the restriction act of 1921 into law.
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