Immigration+Act+of+1965

Immigration Act of 1965  In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Immigration Act, also known as the Hart-Celler Immigration Bill. This Act was signed to help mediate the flow of immigration and to a cap on Western immigration. It not only gave priority to those who were in desperate situations, but it also helped the Americans by not allowing an abundance of immigration. The Immigration Act also hurt the American people. Immigration began to take away jobs American’s once held and limited the amount of work natural born Americans could find.  For a brief period of time this act worked. Throughout the 1960’s, the cap on immigration was effective and there was little change for Americans. However, in the 1970’s, the government began to notice that too many people were immigrating to the United States and the cap number was changed. Overall, the law has succeeded in limiting the number of people entering the United States each year. It has also succeeded in helping those in bad or desperate situations find refuge in the United States. ` The law still is in effect today. However, it is a different law from what was originally passed. Throughout the years, this Act has been revised and new statues and subdivisions have been put in to help control immigration. It is still in effect because there is still a high incentive to come to the United States, and because this incentive is high, the government must regulate who is entering and leaving. If President Johnson was the current president, he would be pressing for the same law. In this time of economic and political difficulty, there must be a higher regulation of immigration to the United States.  "The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965." //Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. History//: //Government and Politics//. Detroit: Gale, 2009. //Gale Student Resources In Context//. Web. 11 May 2011. 