The Pros And Cons Of Migrating To The United States

Imagine you are a ten-year-old child growing up in a European country and one day your father tells you to pack up all your belongings. He then proceeds to inform your family and you that you all will be boarding a ship, along with thousands of other people, traveling to a foreign distant land, far, far away. It must be an overwhelming feeling, giving up your present life in hopes of finding a better life and future on the other side of the vast Atlantic Ocean. The United States of America was the place to be and was commonly referred to as “the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave,” and “the Land of Opportunity.” Immigrants from all over the world began the process of migrating to the United States. As one may imagine, there was a
The Immigration Act of 1924 introduced criteria which mandated specific requirements and limitations for eligibility of people from other countries to be allowed entrance into the United States. In 1924, the United States was a booming country. People of foreign nations wanted to enter the country, hoping to find prosperity and success for their families and themselves. America was called the “Land of Opportunity.” The United States had many attractive factors such as free enterprise, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. America was a growing country, eager to expand. Americans, however, started to notice that many of the arriving immigrants were poor, uneducated, unskilled, and ill. Americans demanded action to limit the number of such unfortunate soul’s entrance into the U.S. As a result of that pressure from the American people, the President and Congress, through the Immigration Act of 1924, set certain limitations and requirements which had to be met for an immigrant to be granted legal entrance into the United
The Act stated that all stipulations and regulations would commence on July 1, 1924. The only event that could start before that date was the distribution of Visas and permits. Neither could be redeemed, however, until July 1, 1924. The United States Congress also made sure that each country of immigrants got the same quota of allowed immigrants into the United States; no more, no less. If a countries’ quota of ten percent was met before July 1, 1924, a deduction was attached to the issuance of future permits and Visas afforded to that country. The Act stated that a Visa, which was good for up to four mouths, would not commence until July 1, 1924. If an immigrant were to arrive before July 1, 1924, he/she would be dealt with on a case by case basis, which more than likely would mean deportation to their land of origin. The America people and their elected President and Congressman of that time were willing to accept people from all over the world. However, they wanted to make sure that policy and procedures were in place to make the process fair and just to the immigrants and American citizens. The lingering question for citizens of the United States today is, can one really shame or blame Americans of that time for how Immigration law, policies and procedures was