Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, also known as the McCarran-Walter Act, represents a significant overhaul of U.S. immigration policy. Enacted over President Truman's veto, it reformulated the national quota system established in 1924, introducing a new framework that allocated half of the available immigrant visas for individuals with advanced education or specialized skills. The remaining visas were designated for family members of U.S. citizens or permanent residents, reflecting a dual emphasis on merit and family unity in immigration.
In a context shaped by Cold War tensions, the Act also heightened restrictions by excluding individuals associated with communist organizations, thereby intertwining immigration policy with national security concerns. It empowered the government to deport legal residents and revoke citizenship from naturalized citizens who were deemed to pose a threat due to their affiliations or ideologies. While many provisions of the Act were later amended or rescinded, it laid the groundwork for U.S. immigration law for over fifty years, influencing demographic trends and the framework for citizenship in the United States into the twenty-first century.
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
Identification U.S. federal law governing foreign immigration and naturalization
Date Signed into law on June 27, 1952
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which enacted new policies for immigration into the United States and for the acquisition of citizenship, adjusted the national quota formula of past immigration laws and reflected Cold War anticommunist sentiments.
Congress enacted the Immigration and Nationality Act, also known as the McCarran-Walter Act, over President Harry S. Truman’s veto. The statute reformulated the national quota system of 1924. Under the new rules, half of immigrant visas were reserved for applicants with significant education, training, or experience. The remaining half were set aside for either relatives of United States citizens or permanent residents in the country.
Responding to Cold War sentiment, the law added to the list of those excluded from the United States by setting additional immigration and citizenship barriers based on association with the communist organizations or ideology. The statute strengthened government powers over aliens and naturalized citizens alike by establishing that association with subversive groups or advocacy of violent overthrow of government could result in deportation of legal resident aliens and the loss of United States nationality status of naturalized citizens.
Impact
Although sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act were later rescinded or rewritten, the statute established the foundations of immigration law for more than fifty years, thus affecting demographic growth in the United States well into the twenty-first century.
Bibliography
Hutchinson, Edward Price. Legislative History of American Immigration Policy, 1798-1965. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981. Offers a thorough assessment of immigration policy from the nation’s birth through the crucial years of the twentieth century.
Shanks, Cheryl. Immigration and the Politics of American Sovereignty, 1890-1990. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2002. A definitive study of the relationship between politics and immigration law.