Major U.S. Immigration Laws, 1790 - Present

This fact sheet serves as a guide and timeline of all major U.S. immigration laws from 1790 through the present. Starting with the 1790 Naturalization Act, which established the country's first uniform naturalization law, the work examines the laws through 2006, when Congress enacted the Secure Fence Act after the Senate failed to adopt immigration reform legislation that had passed the House in 2005.

The fact sheet explains all of the the laws that have come to shape the United States' immigration policy, and helps paint a picture of where the debate on comprehensive immigration reform may head in the near future.