America’s love-hate relationship with immigration.

Nation of mostly immigrants has always struggled with immigration

The United States may be a land of immigrants, but long before President Donald Trump called for building a wall on the Mexico border, generations of Americans have advocated limiting immigration.

Oddly for a nation made up mostly of immigrants, the United States has always had a problem with immigration.

Long before President Donald Trump called for building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, generations of Americans have advocated limiting immigration.

In the 1800s, the Irish were a favorite target, and newspaper want ads commonly included the phrase, “No Irish need apply.” Also in the 19th century, anti-immigration sentiment was codified in federal laws that singled out Asians. Subsequent federal laws targeted Italians and Southern Europeans.

Scholars have identified three waves of immigration: the first era, the second era and the current era.

As the U.S. once again debates who should be let into the country, perhaps it’s time to review major immigration laws passed from 1870 to the present day. Some tried to bring order to the immigration process. Others aimed to keep out those perceived as un-American.

• First era - 1840s to 1880s: Poor and unskilled immigrants from Northern Europe and Asia poured into the United States in the mid-1800s. Most of the European immigrants were German and Irish, and under the law they were considered “free white persons” able to achieve citizenship.

Citizenship wasn’t an option for the growing numbers of Asian immigrants settling on the West Coast. These immigrants were constant targets of abuse, and Chinese women were largely assumed to be prostitutes.

Laws passed included: 1870s Naturalization Act, which allowed African immigrants and those of African descent to become U.S. citizens; 1875 Asian Exclusion Act, which established federal immigration regulation; 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which was the first law to limit immigration based on ethnicity.

• Second era - 1890s to 1920s: During the next wave of immigration, laws continued to target Asians, but also discourage immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe.

The poor, the sick and those espousing certain political beliefs were barred from entry under other new laws. Laws discouraging immigration from Southern Europe — mainly from Italy — reflected widespread anti-Catholic sentiment.

Laws passed included: 1892 Geary Act, which extended the Chinese Exclusion Act for 10 more years; 1921 Emergency Quota Act, which created the first numerical quotas for immigration based on nationality to discourage immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe; 1924 Johnson-Reed Act, which established a quota system based on country of origin. Northern European immigrants had better chances at being allowed to stay while Japanese immigrants were prohibited. It also limited annual immigration to 165,000, scaling back earlier caps.

• Current era - 1960s to present: The immigration system in place today began to take shape with the 1965 Hart-Celler Act, which eliminated the quota system based on national origin. Reflecting larger, global conditions, later laws addressed refugees, border security or illegal immigration. Executive actions by President Barack Obama prompted praise and criticism.

Laws passed in this era:

• 1965 Hart-Celler Act: Dramatically changed immigration policy by eliminating the quota system based on national origin. The law placed emphasis on admitting skilled workers and family reunification. No limits on the number of immediate family members of U.S. citizens admitted per year. permanent residency for workers who had lived in the U.S. illegally since 1982 or worked in certain agricultural jobs. The law gave almost 3 million people legal status, denounced by many as “amnesty.”

• 2002 Homeland Security Act: Created the Department of Homeland Security following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Also created an electronic data system to maintain information on immigrants. a law, that shielded more than 752,000 young adults from deportation. The act granted two-year work permits to certain people ages 15 to 30 who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. law, that sought to remove the threat of deportation for more than 4 million immigrant parents of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. A federal judge blocked implementation. In June the Trump administration announced it was ending the program.

• Trump era: Trump, who made cracking down on illegal immigration a centerpiece of his campaign, has stepped up deportation efforts and continues to call for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. would create an immigration system based on merit and skills instead of family connections. It’s estimated the measure would cut legal immigration by half.