Incredible Photos Of Immigrants Arriving At Ellis Island

Changing Immigration Laws

Confusing immigration laws and policies are nothing new. Immigration laws have been constantly changing dating back almost to the founding of the United States. The first federal immigration law, the Naturalization Act, was passed in 1790. The law allowed white men who had been living in the country for two years to gain American citizenship. For decades, there was little regulation of immigrants and nearly 5 million people entered the country over the next 45 years. Huge immigration waves such as the one from the Irish potato famine from 1846 to 1850 led to people coming to America in droves.