The Chinese Exclusion Act Of 1882

The United States has been known from many generations that it is somewhere for new beginnings and hope. Along the way, American citizens rejected the basis of the country and started to incorporate immigration laws. Specifically, the one that set the standard for these types of laws was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This law alone influenced every single law regarding immigration after it was passed. Overtime, America decided that it was no longer a country of immigrants and promise, but a country of restriction, discrimination, and unfair treatment. First, Native Americans were attacked and forced out of their homelands. The government didn’t stop there, they began to pass laws to exclude immigrants. Not even 30 years later, the government

People testified in court in hopes to pass this law because they were terrified of the Chinese population growing in America and taking away possible job opportunities. This hysteria was created intended to scare American citizens and support the restrictions made on immigrants. Following this act, Americans turned their focus to Japanese immigrants. Terrified, people contributed to the discrimination and created a slogan, “The Japs Must Go!” (Lee, 45) This slogan was not the only thing that people said to humiliate immigrants, American citizens had come up with names for different types of immigrants which further fueled the delirium in the country. Once laws were passed to restrict one group of immigrants, the American government immediately turned to the next group in hopes of “preserving their land.” Instead of realizing their mistakes, the government took this opportunity to enable restrictions on all immigrants. Mexicans becoming “illegal” in their own homeland, and other nationalities of Asian descent being treated horribly. However, not only immigrants were affected by the inequality America provided. Women were especially targeted, if they were seen alone, a certain race, or just because of

This terrible event reestablished restrictions and horrible treatment to minorities in the U.S. and the world. The President at the time, George W. Bush created ICE in an attempt to protect the nation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or better known as ICE, enforce laws involving immigrants. In the 1920s, the Mexican minority was starting to gain a lot of focus. Before this time, the government already labeled this group as “illegal” and “aliens,” and they didn’t plan to stop there. The government wanted more border control because they thought that the people of Mexico shouldn’t be allowed to come and go. In current times, these beliefs are similar and the restrictions on the border are heavier than ever. One of the many infamous things Donald Trump said during his candidacy for president in 2016 was to “Build a Wall!” which many people supported. This directly targets the citizens of Mexico and proves that discrimination still exists in America