Immigration Law Timeline
1891 to 2012
1891 — The Immigration Act of 1891, the first comprehensive law for national control of immigration, established the Bureau of Immigration within the Treasury Department, restricted immigration by certain classes of persons, and directed the deportation of anyone entering the United States illegally. 1903 — The Immigration Act of 1903 added to the list of inadmissible aliens, extended to three years the period during which an inadmissible alien could be deported, and provided for the deportation, within two years, of aliens who became public charges. 1917 — The Immigration Act of 1917 codified all previously enacted exclusion provisions and broadened…
