The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (The McCarran-Walter Act)

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 upheld the national origins quota system established by the Immigration Act of 1924, reinforcing this controversial system of immigrant selection.

It has been in effect since June 27, 1952. Before this Act, a variety of statutes governed immigration law but were not organized within one body of text.It also ended Asian exclusion from immigrating to the United States and introduced a system of preferences based on skill sets and family reunification. Situated in the early years of the Cold War, the debate over the revision of U.S. immigration law demonstrated a division between those interested in the relationship between immigration and foreign policy, and those linking immigration to concerns over national security..

At the basis of the Act was the continuation and codification of the National Origins Quota System. It revised the 1924 act to allow for national quotas at a rate of one-sixth of one percent of each nationality’s population in the United States in 1920. As a result, 85 percent of the 154,277 visas available annually were allotted to individuals of northern and western European descent. The Act continued the practice of not including countries in the Western Hemisphere in the quota system, though it did introduce new length of residency requirements to qualify for quota-free entry.

The 1952 Act created symbolic opportunities for Asian immigration, though in reality it continued to discriminate against them. The law repealed the last of the existing measures to exclude Asian immigration, allotted each Asian nation a minimum quota of 100 visas each year, and eliminated laws preventing Asians from becoming naturalized American citizens. Breaking down the “Asiatic Barred Zone” was a step toward improving U.S. relations with Asian nations. Nevertheless, low quota numbers and a uniquely racial interpretation for how to apply them ensured that total Asian immigration after 1952 would remain very limited.

There were other positive changes to the implementation of immigration policy in the 1952 Act. One of them  was the creation of a system of preferences which served to help American consuls abroad prioritize visa applicants in countries with heavily oversubscribed quotas. Under the preference system, individuals with special skills or families already resident in the United States received precedence, a policy still is used today. Moreover, the Act gave non-quota status to alien husbands of American citizens (wives had been entering outside of the quota system for several years by 1952) and created a labor certification system, designed to prevent new immigrants from becoming unwanted competition for American laborers.

Age Group 

Borough 

1950 

1950 - Boro share of NYC total 

1960 

Total Population	NYC Total	7,891,957	100%	7,781,984
Total Population	Bronx	1,451,277	18.39%	1,424,815
Total Population	Brooklyn	2,738,175	34.7%	2,627,319
Total Population	Manhattan	1,960,101	24.84%	1,698,281
Total Population	Queens	1,550,849	19.65%	1,809,578
Total Population	Staten Island	191,555	2.43%	221,991

Remarkably, President Truman vetoed it because he was concerned about the decisions to maintain the national origins quota system and to establish racially constructed quotas for Asian nations. He thought the new law was discriminatory, but the law had enough support in Congress to pass over his veto.

Useful links: cityofnewyork.us/City-Government/New-York-City-Population-by-Borough

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/immigration-act