IMMIGRATION & NATIONALITY ACT
As discussed earlier on the Basics exhibit, immigration policies changed majorly in 1965 with the Immigration and Nationality Act, where then-president Lyndon Johnson got rid of national-origin quotas, which allowed immigrant visas to be reserved for those from Europe. All people of all places and nationalities were now easily accepted into the US with immigration visas, leading to a more diverse nation.
Gjelten, Tom. "The Immigration Act That Inadvertently Changed America." The
Atlantic, edited by Jeffrey Goldberg, Atlantic Monthly Group, 2 Oct.
2015, www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/10/immigration-act-1965/
408409/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
As discussed earlier on the Basics exhibit, immigration policies changed majorly in 1965 with the Immigration and Nationality Act, where then-president Lyndon Johnson got rid of national-origin quotas, which allowed immigrant visas to be reserved for those from Europe. All people of all places and nationalities were now easily accepted into the US with immigration visas, leading to a more diverse nation.
Gjelten, Tom. "The Immigration Act That Inadvertently Changed America." The
Atlantic, edited by Jeffrey Goldberg, Atlantic Monthly Group, 2 Oct.
2015, www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/10/immigration-act-1965/
408409/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
A STORY
Javed Khazaeli, an Iranian born American citizen, shared his story with the New York Times. Khazaeli moved to the United States from Iran at a young age. He says his family assimilated into the American society pretty easily, stating "We lived in Edwardsville, Ill., and my father taught chemistry at the local university. My mother opened a tailoring shop. I played tennis, joined a fraternity at the University of Illinois and married my wife in a Catholic church." Unfortunately, his dad was diagnosed with cancer in December of 2016. This calls for the support of all family members, so some of his Iranian relatives planned on visiting and staying for a long period of time. However, current US president, President Donald Trump, had placed a policy that revoked visas from citizens of 7 countries, including Iran. One of his family members that was supposed to come to the United States has yet to be able to, as Khazaeli says "To this day, my aunt has not been able to get her visa, even though she has passed background checks twice."
Khazaeli says that the recent immigration policy has really taken a toll on his father, as he says "If implemented, all of our relatives will be permanently barred from visiting us here. I was just with my father in the hospital, and such naked bias, from a country he loves and has raised his family in, deeply hurts him."
This story provides only one example of how immigration policies affect not only immigrants, but Americans too. Some families of American citizens are struggling to gain entry into the country.
Khazaeli, Javad. "I Prosecuted Terrorists for President Bush. Now My Family in
Iran May Be Banned from Visiting." The New York Times, edited by Dean
Baquet, New York Times Company, 25 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/25/
opinion/prosecution-terrorists-bush-iran.html. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.