OnImmigration

As you will see in Baba, there are structures in the American immigration system that cause extremely personal frustrations for families like Mohammed and Layla, from long waits to mountains of paperwork to even family separation.

Immigrationpolicy

Daily Herald, 1951.

1965 IMMIGRATION & NATIONALITY ACT (HART - CELLER ACT )

An overhaul of the American immigration system, this act changed the national origins quota system to a seven-category preference system. This was intended to focus on uniting families and attracting skilled immigrants. Starting in 1968, countries in the Western Hemisphere were alotted 120,000 visas annually with no limits on country of origin.

The Refugee Act Of 1980

This general policy addressed the admission for refugees, going off the definition created by the United Nations. As a result, annual refugee admission expanded. Further executive and legislative action addressed deportation relief and admission based on region or nationality.

1986,

IMMIGRATION

REFORM & CONTROL ACT (SIMPSON - MAZZOLI)

Gave a way for unauthorized immigrants who have lived in the U.S. since 1982 to permanent resident status to ~2.7 million.

2012, DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS (DACA)

By executive action, President Obama allows for young adults from 15 to 30 brought illegally to the U.S. to apply for temporary deportation relief and work permits for 2 years. “As of March 31, 2015, roughly 665,000 applicants had been approved for DACA.”

Cohn, D’Vera HowU.S.immigrationlawsandruleshavechangedthroughhistory.PewResearch, 30 Sept. 2015. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/09/30/how-u-s-immigration-laws-and-rules-have-changed-throughhistory/