Washington, D.C. (November 11, 2024) – One hundred years ago, Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924, a pivotal piece of legislation that drastically reduced immigration levels to the United States and brought an end to the Ellis Island era. This landmark act shaped the course of U.S. immigration policy and economic development for four decades, raising the question whether similar cuts should be considered anew.
With shifting public sentiment and the incoming administration signaling seismic policy changes, the historical lessons of the 1924 Act are more relevant than ever. Examining those lessons is a new report by George Fishman, the Center’s senior legal fellow. The report is entitled “ The Rise and Fall of the Immigration Act of 1924: A Greek Tragedy; Doing the right thing for the wrong reason, then doing the wrong thing for the right reason”.
Fishman notes, “By focusing on the country-by-country immigration quotas of the Immigration Act of 1924 rather than the four-decade-long pause in mass immigration it instituted, historians overlook the tremendously positive impacts of the Act. This lengthy pause grew wages and created an enduring American middle class, opened unprecedented economic opportunities for Black Americans, and strengthened American cohesiveness by allowing time for the economic and social assimilation of millions of immigrants.”
Highlights of the Immigration Act of 1924:
- Historic Context: The Act followed the “Great Wave” of immigration that began in the 1880s, during which over 20 million immigrants arrived in the United States.
- Economic Impact: The pause in immigration fostered an environment conducive to economic wage growth, helping the average real earnings of white men rise by 210 percent and Black men by 406 percent between 1940 and 1970.
- Opportunities for Black Americans: The reduced influx of immigrant labor created demand for Black workers, which fueled the Great Migration from the South and laid the groundwork for future civil rights advancements.
- Support from Diverse Groups: Support for the Act spanned political and social groups, including progressive, liberal, and conservative voices, as well as leaders in Black communities who saw the benefits of decreased competition from immigrant labor during World War I.
Legacy and Critiques:
- Country Quotas: The Act also established national origin quotas, favoring Northern and Western European immigrants, in part because of racial motivations.
- Repeal and Consequences: The 1965 Act removed these quotas, but also reignited mass immigration, undoing many of the positive economic consequences of the 1924 Act, including contributing to a documented drop in real earnings for both white and Black men between 1970 and 2014.
“While critics often focus on the motivation behind the Act, it is undeniable that the immigration pause called for by the legislation had significant positive impacts, including the creation of broader opportunities for American workers and laying the foundation for later social progress. Any immigration policy debate today should include a conversation on instituting another Great Pause to the current wave of mass immigration into the United States,” noted Fishman.
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