In the demography of the United States , some people self-identify their ancestral origin or descent as "American", rather than the more common officially recognized racial and ethnic groups that make up the bulk of the American people . The majority of these respondents are visibly white and do not identify with their ancestral European ethnic origins. The latter response is attributed to a multitude of generational distance from ancestral lineages, and these tend be Anglo-Americans of English , Scotch-Irish , Welsh , Scottish or other British ancestries, as demographers have observed that those ancestries tend to be recently undercounted in U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey ancestry self-reporting estimates.
78-587: Many acts of Congress and executive actions relating to immigration to the United States and citizenship of the United States have been enacted in the United States. Most immigration and nationality laws are codified in Title 8 of the United States Code . Naturalization Act of 1798 "An unintended consequence of the 1920s legislation was an increase in illegal immigration. Many Europeans who did not fall under
156-548: A blood quantum test) to enter the United States freely. In the early years of the United States, immigration (not counting the enslaved , who were treated as merchandise rather than people) was fewer than 8,000 people a year, including French refugees from the slave revolt in Haiti . Legal importation of enslaved African was prohibited after 1808, though many were smuggled in to sell. After 1820, immigration gradually increased. From 1836 to 1914, over 30 million Europeans migrated to
234-477: A "national security" issue and warned that "terrorists and subversives are just two days' driving time" from the border. Later presidents, including Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, used similar "security" rhetoric in their efforts to court Republican support for comprehensive immigration reform. In his 2013 State of the Union Address, Obama said "real reform means strong border security, and we can build on
312-646: A change, in the immigration system with a focus, on strengthening border security and improving asylum processes. This bill, backed by both Republican senators and endorsed by President Biden seeks to address the surge in border crossings in the U.S. Mexico border by revolutionizing how migrants and asylum seekers are processed by border authorities. More specifically, asylum officers to consider certain bars to asylum during screening interviews, which were previously only considered by immigration judges. The legislation aims to streamline provisions for effective management. The proposed law introduces an asylum procedure in
390-539: Is addressed by the United States Census Bureau as follows: Some people identify their ancestry as American. This could be because their ancestors have been in United States for so long or they have such mixed backgrounds that they do not identify with any particular group. Some foreign born or children of the foreign born may report American to show that they are part of American society. There are many reasons people may report their ancestors as American, and
468-558: Is considered to be seriously undercounted, as the 6.9% of U.S. Census respondents who self-report and identify simply as "American" are primarily of these ancestries. Reynolds Farley writes that "we may now be in an era of optional ethnicity, in which no simple census question will distinguish those who identify strongly with a specific European group from those who report symbolic or imagined ethnicity." Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters write "As whites become increasingly distant in generations and time from their immigrant ancestors,
546-476: Is designed to fund a broad range of social services to newly arrived refugees, both through states and direct service grants. The bill outlines provisions for granting status to allies safeguarding most "Documented Dreamers " and issuing an additional 250,000 immigrant visas. It introduces a program for repatriation enabling asylum seekers to go to their home countries at any point during the proceedings. The proposed legislation also contains clauses that do not affect
624-558: Is most commonly self-reported in the Deep South , the Upland South , and Appalachia , a far greater number of Americans and expatriates equate their national identity not with ancestry, race, or ethnicity, but rather with citizenship and allegiance . The earliest attested use of the term "American" to identify an ancestral or cultural identity dates to the late 1500s, with the term signifying "the indigenous peoples discovered in
702-428: Is receding from the consciousness of many white Americans. Because national origins do not count for very much in contemporary America, many whites are content with a simplified Americanized racial identity. The loss of specific ancestral attachments among many white Americans also results from high patterns of intermarriage and ethnic blending among whites of different European stocks." The response of American ancestry
780-435: Is similar to that of areas with high levels of not reporting any national ancestry. In the 2014 American Community Survey , German Americans (14.4%), Irish Americans (10.4%), English Americans (7.6%), and Italian Americans (5.4%) were the four largest self-reported European ancestry groups in the United States, forming 37.8% of the total population. However, English, Scotch-Irish , and English American demography
858-519: The 1980 census , 26% of United States residents cited that they were of English ancestry , making them the largest group at the time. In the 2000 United States Census, 6.9% of the American population chose to self-identify itself as having "American ancestry." The four states in which a plurality of the population reported American ancestry were Arkansas (15.7%), Kentucky (20.7%), Tennessee (17.3%), and West Virginia (18.7%). Sizable percentages of
SECTION 10
#1733085644122936-615: The American Revolutionary War began), 7,000 English, 15,000 Scots, 13,200 Scots-Irish, 5,200 Germans, and 3,900 Irish Catholics migrated to the Thirteen Colonies . According to Butler (2000), up to half of English migrants in the 18th century may have been young, single men who were well-skilled, trained artisans, like the Huguenots. Based on scholarly analysis, English was the largest single ancestry in all U.S. states at
1014-648: The American frontier , one distinct from other ethnic groups, such as the Anglo-Saxons . He believed "(t)he conquest and settlement by the whites of the Indian lands was necessary to the greatness of the race...." "We are making a new race, a new type, in this country." Roosevelt's "race" beliefs were not unique in the 19th and early 20th century. Professor Eric Kaufmann has suggested that American nativism has been explained primarily in psychological and economic terms to
1092-572: The DHS Secretary can promptly send migrants back to their home country unless they can prove they face a risk of persecution or torture. The proposed legislation involves around $ 18.3 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out the border policies and changes in the asylum process. Moreover, it designates $ 2.3 billion to support arrived refugees through the "Refugee and Entrant Assistance" program. The program itself
1170-670: The Immigration Act of 1924 , revised and re-affirmed by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 , sought to preserve this demographic makeup of America by allotting quotas in proportion to how much blood each national origin had contributed to the total stock of the population in 1920, as presented below: Immigration patterns of the 1930s were affected by the Great Depression . In the final prosperous year, 1929, there were 279,678 immigrants recorded, but in 1933, only 23,068 moved to
1248-599: The Immigration Act of 1924 , when the government required accurate official estimates of the origins of the colonial stock population as basis for computing National Origins Formula immigration quotas in the 1920s. In 1927, proposed quotas based on CPG figures were rejected by the President's Committee chaired by the Secretaries of State , Commerce , and Labor , with the President reporting to Congress "the statistical and historical information available raises grave doubts as to
1326-664: The Northeast from the 1830s to the 1850s, primarily in response to a surge of Catholic immigration. The Order of United American Mechanics was founded as a nativist fraternity, following the Philadelphia nativist riots of the preceding spring and summer, in December 1844. The New York City anti-Irish, anti-German, and anti-Catholic secret society the Order of the Star Spangled Banner
1404-614: The Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) for Iraqis and Afghans employed by the United States Government. The remaining 0.4% included small numbers from several other categories, including 0.2% who were granted suspension of deportation as an immediate relative of a citizen (Z13); persons admitted under the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act ; children born after the issuance of a parent's visa; and certain parolees from
1482-416: The U.S. Border , where asylum officers from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) can review asylum applications at a more rapid pace. This new process, called removal proceedings, is detailed in a new section of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) specifically Section 235B. The bill sets a bar for passing an asylum screening by requiring a "reasonable possibility" standard instead of
1560-416: The 1790 census. European Americans remained predominant, although there were shifts toward Southern , Central , and Eastern Europe from immigration in the period 1790 to 1920. The formula determined that ancestry derived from Great Britain accounted for over 40% of the American gene pool, followed by German ancestry at 16%, then Irish ancestry at 11%. The restrictive immigration quota system established by
1638-509: The 1860s and Asian people in the 1950s. This made the United States an outlier, since laws that made racial distinctions were uncommon in the world in the 18th century. The 1794 Jay Treaty provided freedom of movement for Americans, British subjects, and Native Americans into British and American jurisdictions, Hudson's Bay Company land excepted. The treaty is still in effect to the degree that it allows Native Americans born in Canada (subject to
SECTION 20
#17330856441221716-462: The 18th century, one source says 52,000 English migrated during the period of 1701 to 1775, although this figure is likely too low. 400,000–450,000 of the 18th-century migrants were Scots , Scots-Irish from Ulster, Germans , Swiss , and French Huguenots . Over half of all European immigrants to Colonial America during the 17th and 18th centuries arrived as indentured servants . They numbered 350,000. From 1770 to 1775 (the latter year being when
1794-435: The 1920s curtailed Southern and Eastern European immigration. The civil rights movement led to the replacement of these ethnic quotas with per-country limits for family-sponsored and employment-based preference visas. Between 1970 and 2007, the number of first-generation immigrants living in the United States quadrupled from 9.6 million to 38.1 million residents. Census estimates show 45.3 million foreign born residents in
1872-626: The Asiatic Barred Zone Act, which also banned homosexuals , people with intellectual disability , and people with an anarchist worldview. The Emergency Quota Act was enacted in 1921, limiting immigration from the Eastern Hemisphere by national quotas equal to 3 percent of the number of foreign-born from each nation in the 1910 census . The Act aimed to further restrict immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, particularly Italian, Slavic, and Jewish people, who had begun to enter
1950-555: The Clinton-era Prevention Through Deterrence strategy. The sociologist Douglas Massey has argued that these policies have succeeded at producing a perception of border enforcement but have largely failed at preventing emigration from Latin America. Notably, rather than curtailing illegal immigration, the increase in border patrol agents decreased circular migration across the U.S.–Mexico border, thus increasing
2028-480: The Obama Administration, which had opened family detention centers in response to migrants increasingly using children as a way to get adults into the country. However, the Obama Administration detained families together in administrative, rather than criminal, detention. Other policies focused on what it means for an asylum seeker to claim credible fear. To further decrease the amount of asylum seekers into
2106-513: The Senate Homeland Security Committee that more than 600,000 people illegally made their way into the United States without being apprehended by border agents during the 2023 fiscal year. In fiscal year 2022, over one million immigrants (most of whom entered through family reunification ) were granted legal residence , up from 707,000 in 2020. The 2024 Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act represents
2184-489: The South, only Missouri and Indiana did so. American was one of the top five ancestries reported in all Southern states except for Delaware, in four Midwestern states bordering the South (Indiana, Kansas , Missouri , and Ohio ) as well as Iowa , and in six Northwestern states ( Colorado , Idaho , Oregon , Utah , Washington , Wyoming ), but only one Northeastern state, Maine . The pattern of areas with high levels of American
2262-549: The U.S. In the early 1930s, more people emigrated from the United States than to it. The U.S. government sponsored a Mexican Repatriation program which was intended to encourage people to voluntarily move to Mexico, but thousands were deported against their will. Altogether, approximately 400,000 Mexicans were repatriated; half of them were US citizens. Most of the Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis and World War II were barred from coming to
2340-886: The US Armed Forces to qualify for permanent residency and, in some cases, citizenship. In November 1994, California voters passed Proposition 187 amending the state constitution, denying state financial aid to illegal immigrants. The federal courts voided this change, ruling that it violated the federal constitution. Appointed by President Bill Clinton , the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform recommended reducing legal immigration from about 800,000 people per year to approximately 550,000. While an influx of new residents from different cultures presents some challenges, "the United States has always been energized by its immigrant populations", said President Bill Clinton in 1998. "America has constantly drawn strength and spirit from wave after wave of immigrants ... They have proved to be
2418-634: The US from around the world. In the fiscal year of 2017, 53,691 refugees were accepted to the US. There was a significant decrease after Trump took office; it continued in the fiscal year of 2018 when only 22,405 refugees were accepted into the US. This displays a massive drop in acceptance of refugees since the Trump Administration has been in place. On September 26, 2019, the Trump administration announced that it planned to allow only 18,000 refugees to resettle in
List of United States immigration laws - Misplaced Pages Continue
2496-458: The United States encouraged the immigration of engineers, mathematicians, and scientists from Asia, particularly India and China , to help support STEM -related endeavors in the country. Skilled immigration from these countries was strengthened through the Immigration Act of 1990 . The National Academy of Sciences has supported U.S. policymakers to design legislation that attracts foreign mathematicians, engineers and scientists to emigrate to
2574-582: The United States . In January 2023, regarding the Mexico–United States border crisis , Joe Biden announced a new immigration policy that would allow 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela but will also expel the migrants from those countries who violate US laws of immigration. The policy has faced criticism from "immigration reform advocates and lawyers who decry any expansion of Title 42." On October 31, 2023, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified before
2652-460: The United States . In 1970, 60% of immigrants were from Europe; this decreased to 15% by 2000. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Law of 1965 abolished the former quota system and gave preference to people with skills regarded as being "especially advantageous" to the United States, which resulted in an increase in immigration from Asia. In the 1980s, this accelerated as the Federal government of
2730-527: The United States admitted a total of 1.18 million legal immigrants (618k new arrivals, 565k status adjustments) in 2016. Of these, 48% were the immediate relatives of United States citizens , 20% were family-sponsored, 13% were refugees or asylum seekers , 12% were employment-based preferences, 4.2% were part of the Diversity Immigrant Visa program, 1.4% were victims of a crime (U1) or their family members were (U2 to U5), and 1.0% who were granted
2808-467: The United States as of March 2018 and 45.4 million in September 2021, the lowest three-year increase in decades. In 2017, out of the U.S. foreign-born population, some 45% (20.7 million) were naturalized citizens, 27% (12.3 million) were lawful permanent residents, 6% (2.2 million) were temporary lawful residents, and 23% (10.5 million) were unauthorized immigrants. The United States led
2886-536: The United States by nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries. It was replaced by another executive order in March 2017 and by a presidential proclamation in September 2017, with various changes to the list of countries and exemptions. The orders were temporarily suspended by federal courts but later allowed to proceed by the Supreme Court, pending a definite ruling on their legality. Another executive order called for
2964-477: The United States from 2000 to 2005; 3.7 million of them entered without papers. Hispanic immigrants suffered job losses during the late-2000s recession, but since the recession's end in June 2009, immigrants posted a net gain of 656,000 jobs. Nearly 14 million immigrants entered the United States from 2000 to 2010, and over one million persons were naturalized as U.S. citizens in 2008. The per-country limit applies
3042-414: The United States from Europe between 1600 and 1799. By comparison, in the first federal census, in 1790, the population of the United States was enumerated to be 3,929,214. These statistics do not include the 17.8% of the population who were enslaved, according to the 1790 census . The Naturalization Act of 1790 limited naturalization to "free white persons"; it was expanded to include black people in
3120-408: The United States in 2013, regardless of legal status, according to a U.S. Census Bureau study. Over 1 million immigrants were granted legal residence in 2011. For those who enter the US illegally across the Mexico–United States border and elsewhere, migration is difficult, expensive and dangerous. Virtually all undocumented immigrants have no avenues for legal entry to the United States due to
3198-586: The United States in the 2020 fiscal year, its lowest level since the modern program began in 1980. In 2020 the Trump administration announced that it planned to slash refugee admissions to U.S. for 2021 to a record low of 15,000 refugees down from a cap of 18,000 for 2020, making 2021 the fourth consecutive year of declining refugee admissions under the Trump term. The Biden administration pledged to welcome 125,000 refugees in 2024. American ethnicity Although U.S. census data indicates "American ancestry"
List of United States immigration laws - Misplaced Pages Continue
3276-492: The United States, Attorney General Jeff Sessions released a decision that restricts those fleeing gang violence and domestic abuse as "private crime", therefore making their claims ineligible for asylum. These new policies that had been put in place were controversial for putting the lives of the asylum seekers at risk, to the point that the ACLU sued Jeff Sessions along with other members of the Trump Administration. The ACLU claimed that
3354-589: The United States. After an initial wave of immigration from China following the California Gold Rush , Congress passed its first immigration law, the Page Act of 1875 which banned Chinese women . This was followed by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, banning virtually all immigration from China until the law's repeal in 1943. In the late 1800s, immigration from other Asian countries , especially to
3432-507: The United States. In 1986 president Ronald Reagan signed immigration reform that gave amnesty to 3 million undocumented immigrants in the country. In 1990, George H. W. Bush signed the Immigration Act of 1990 , which increased legal immigration to the United States by 40%. In 1991, Bush signed the Armed Forces Immigration Adjustment Act 1991 , allowing foreign service members who had served 12 or more years in
3510-408: The United States. The economic, social, and political aspects of immigration have caused controversy regarding such issues as maintaining ethnic homogeneity , workers for employers versus jobs for non-immigrants, settlement patterns, impact on upward social mobility , crime , and voting behavior. American immigration history can be viewed in four epochs: the colonial period, the mid-19th century,
3588-540: The United States. In the post-war era, the Justice Department launched Operation Wetback , under which 1,075,168 Mexicans were deported in 1954. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 , also known as the Hart–Celler Act, abolished the system of national-origin quotas. By equalizing immigration policies, the act resulted in new immigration from non-European nations, which changed the ethnic demographics of
3666-469: The West Coast, became more common. The peak year of European immigration was in 1907, when 1,285,349 persons entered the country. By 1910, 13.5 million immigrants were living in the United States. While the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 had already excluded immigrants from China, the immigration of people from Asian countries in addition to China was banned by the Immigration Act of 1917 , also known as
3744-495: The Western Hemisphere by Europeans." In the following century, the term "American" was extended as a reference to colonists of European descent. The Oxford English Dictionary identifies this secondary meaning as "historical" and states that the term "American" today "chiefly [means] a native (birthright) or citizen of the United States ." President Theodore Roosevelt asserted that an "American race" had been formed on
3822-521: The country and Congress was engaged in a debate about these proposals. As of April 2010 few of these proposals had become law, though a partial border fence had been approved and subsequently canceled. Beginning with Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, presidents from both political parties have steadily increased the number of border patrol agents and instituted harsher punitive measures for immigration violations. Examples of these policies include Ronald Reagan's Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and
3900-597: The country in large numbers beginning in the 1890s. The temporary quota system was superseded by the National Origins Formula of the Immigration Act of 1924 , which computed national quotas as a fraction of 150,000 in proportion to the national origins of the entire White American population as of the 1920 census , except those having origins in the nonquota countries of the Western Hemisphere (which remained unrestricted). The National Origins Formula
3978-404: The former Soviet Union, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam who were denied refugee status. Between 1921 and 1965, policies such as the national origins formula limited immigration and naturalization opportunities for people from areas outside Northwestern Europe . Exclusion laws enacted as early as the 1880s generally prohibited or severely restricted immigration from Asia, and quota laws enacted in
SECTION 50
#17330856441224056-623: The growth in this response has been substantial. A 2015 genetic study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics analyzed the genetic ancestry of 148,789 European Americans . The study concluded that Inferred English/Irish ancestry is found in European Americans from all states at mean proportions of more than 20% and represents a majority of ancestry (more than 50% mean proportion) in states such as Mississippi , Arkansas , and Tennessee . These states are similarly highlighted in
4134-426: The highest number of immigrants in the world, with 50,661,149 people as of 2019. This represents 19.1% of the 244 million international migrants worldwide, and 14.4% of the United States' population. In 2018, there were almost 90 million immigrants and U.S.-born children of immigrants in the United States, accounting for 28% of the overall U.S. population. According to the 2016 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics,
4212-524: The humanitarian parole initiatives of the Biden administration, for individuals from Venezuela , Cuba , Haiti and Nicaragua . These individuals are granted approval to travel and a temporary period of parole in the United States. Note: "Other Latin America" includes Central America, South America and the Caribbean. According to the Department of State, in the 2016 fiscal year 84,988 refugees were accepted into
4290-556: The immediate construction of a wall across the U.S.–Mexico border , the hiring of 5,000 new border patrol agents and 10,000 new immigration officers, and federal funding penalties for sanctuary cities . The "zero-tolerance" policy was put in place in 2018, which legally allows children to be separated from adults unlawfully entering the United States. This is justified by labeling all adults that enter unlawfully as criminals, thus subjecting them to criminal prosecution. The Trump Administration also argued that its policy had precedent under
4368-549: The inhabitants of the original Thirteen Colonies ( Colonial American ancestry). These " Old Stock Americans ," were predominantly Protestants from England , Sweden, the Netherlands, and even modern-day Russia and Finland. They saw Catholic immigrants as a threat to traditional American republican values, as they were loyal to the papacy . This form of American nationalism is often identified with xenophobia and anti-Catholic sentiment . Nativist outbursts occurred in
4446-549: The most restless, the most adventurous, the most innovative, the most industrious of people." In 2001, President George W. Bush discussed an accord with Mexican President Vicente Fox . Due to the September 11 attacks , the possible accord did not occur. From 2005 to 2013, the US Congress discussed various ways of controlling immigration. The Senate and House were unable to reach an agreement. Nearly 8 million people immigrated to
4524-473: The neglect of a crucial cultural and ethnic dimension. Kauffman contends American nativism cannot be understood without reference to the theorem of the age that an "American" national ethnic group had taken shape prior to the large-scale immigration of the mid-19th century . "Nativism" gained its name from the "Native American" parties of the 1840s and 1850s. In this context, "Native" does not mean indigenous or American Indian, but rather those descended from
4602-451: The policies put in place by the Trump Administration undermined the fundamental human rights of those immigrating into the United States, specifically women. They also claimed that these policies violated decades of settle asylum law. In April 2020, President Trump said he will sign an executive order to temporarily suspend immigration to the United States because of the COVID-19 pandemic in
4680-544: The population of Hispanics in the U.S. Presidents from both parties have employed anti-immigrant rhetoric to appeal to their political base or to garner bi-partisan support for their policies. While Republicans like Reagan and Donald Trump have led the way in framing Hispanic immigrants as criminals, Douglas Massey points out that "the current moment of open racism and xenophobia could not have happened with Democratic acquiescence". For example, while lobbying for his 1986 immigration bill, Reagan framed unauthorized immigration as
4758-632: The populations of Alabama (16.8%), Mississippi (14.0%), North Carolina (13.7%), South Carolina (13.7%), Georgia (13.3%), and Indiana (11.8%) also reported American ancestry. In the Southern United States as a whole, 11.2% reported "American" ancestry, second only to African American . American was the fourth most common ancestry reported in the Midwest (6.5%) and West (4.1%). All Southern states except for Delaware , Maryland , Florida , and Texas reported 10% or more American, but outside
SECTION 60
#17330856441224836-449: The previous "credible fear" standard. Requiring more evidence at the preliminary screening stages at the same level needed for a full hearing. Notably excluded apprehended individuals between ports of entry from asylum eligibility except under narrow exceptions. This adjustment makes it more difficult for asylum seekers to qualify for a hearing in front of an immigration judge and has raised questions in regards to potential violations against
4914-594: The progress my administration has already made – putting more boots on the southern border than at any time in our history". ICE reports that it removed 240,255 immigrants in fiscal year 2016, as well as 226,119 in FY2017 and 256,085 in FY2018. Citizens of Central American countries (including Mexico) made up over 90% of removals in FY2017 and over 80% in FY2018. In January 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending entry to
4992-674: The proportion of names of unique derivation from each of the major national stocks present in the population as of the 1790 census. The final results, later also published in the journal of the American Historical Association , are presented below: [REDACTED] Estimated Nationalities of the White American population in the Continental United States as of the 1790 Census [REDACTED] Historians estimate that fewer than one million immigrants moved to
5070-477: The question of ancestry. The Census Bureau reports the number of people in the United States who reported "American" and no other ancestry increased from 12.4 million in 1990 to 20.2 million in 2000. This increase represents the largest numerical growth of any ethnic group in the United States during the 1990s. The state with the largest increase over the past two census was Texas , where in 2000, over 1.5 million residents reported having "American ancestry." In
5148-490: The quotas migrated to Canada or Mexico, which [as Western Hemisphere nations] were not subject to national-origin quotas; [and] subsequently they slipped into the United States illegally." Immigration to the United States Immigration to the United States has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of its history . In absolute numbers, the United States has by far
5226-428: The restrictive legal limits on green cards , and lack of immigrant visas for low-skilled workers. Participants in debates on immigration in the early 21st century called for increasing enforcement of existing laws governing illegal immigration to the United States , building a barrier along some or all of the 2,000-mile (3,200 km) Mexico-U.S. border, or creating a new guest worker program. Through much of 2006
5304-456: The right to seek asylum and due process . Furthermore, the legislation establishes an emergency expulsion authority that empowers the branch to expel migrants and asylum seekers during times of " extraordinary migration circumstances." When the seven-day average of encounters between ports of entry exceeds 2,500, the restrictions come into effect. The restrictions continue until the average falls below 1,500 for 14 consecutive days. If this occurs
5382-502: The same maximum on the number of visas to all countries regardless of their population and has therefore had the effect of significantly restricting immigration of persons born in populous nations such as Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines—the leading countries of origin for legally admitted immigrants to the United States in 2013; nevertheless, China, India, and Mexico were the leading countries of origin for immigrants overall to
5460-467: The start of the 20th century, and post-1965. Each period brought distinct national groups, races, and ethnicities to the United States. During the 17th century, approximately 400,000 English people migrated to America under European colonization . They comprised 83.5% of the white population at the time of the first census in 1790. From 1700 to 1775, between 350,000 and 500,000 Europeans immigrated: estimates vary in sources. Regarding English settlers of
5538-444: The tendency to distort, or remember selectively, one's ethnic origins increases.... [E]thnic categories are social phenomena that over the long run are constantly being redefined and reformulated." Mary C. Waters contends that white Americans of European origin are afforded a wide range of choice: "In a sense, they are constantly given an actual choice—they can either identify themselves with their ethnic ancestry or they can 'melt' into
5616-607: The time of the first census in 1790, ranging from a high of 82% in Massachusetts to a low of 35.3% in Pennsylvania, where Germans accounted for 33.3%. The Census Bureau published preliminary estimates of the origins of the colonial American population by scholarly classification of the names of all White heads of families recorded in the 1790 census in a 1909 report entitled A Century of Population Growth . These initial estimates were scrutinized and rejected following passage of
5694-461: The whole value of these computations as the basis for the purposes intended". Concluding that CPG "had not been accepted by scholars as better than a first approximation of the truth", an extensive scientific revision was produced, in collaboration with the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), as basis for computing contemporary legal immigration quotas. For this task scholars estimated
5772-416: The wider society and call themselves American." Professors Anthony Daniel Perez and Charles Hirschman write "European national origins are still common among whites—almost 3 of 5 whites name one or more European countries in response to the ancestry question. ... However, a significant share of whites respond that they are simply "American" or leave the ancestry question blank on their census forms. Ethnicity
5850-490: The world in refugee resettlement for decades, admitting more refugees than the rest of the world combined. Some research suggests that immigration is beneficial to the United States economy. With few exceptions, the evidence suggests that on average, immigration has positive economic effects on the native population, but it is mixed as to whether low-skilled immigration adversely affects low-skilled natives. Studies also show that immigrants have lower crime rates than natives in
5928-420: Was a unique computation which attempted to measure the total contributions of "blood" from each national origin as a share of the total stock of White Americans in 1920, counting immigrants, children of immigrants, and the grandchildren of immigrants (and later generations), in addition to estimating the colonial stock descended from the population who had immigrated in the colonial period and were enumerated in
6006-589: Was formed in 1848. Popularised nativist movements included the Know Nothing or American Party of the 1850s and the Immigration Restriction League of the 1890s. During the antebellum period (pre-Civil War), between 1830 and 1860, Americanism acquired a restrictive political meaning due to nativist moral panics . Nativism would eventually influence Congress; in 1924, legislation limiting immigration from Southern and Eastern European countries
6084-575: Was ratified, also quantifying previous formal and informal anti-Asian previsions, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 . According to U.S. Census Bureau ; "Ancestry refers to a person's ethnic origin or descent, 'roots,' or heritage, or the place of birth of the person or the person's parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States." According to 2000 U.S. census data, an increasing number of United States citizens identify simply as "American" on
#121878