U.S. Immigration Act of 1882

Background. Prior to the passage of the Immigration Act of 1882, Congress had passed two significant immigration acts, the second of which was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. During the same period, while American policy restricted Chinese immigration, many also criticized the influx of European immigrants later referred to as the "Great Wave." Roger Daniels explained how the great growth in immigration volume during the Gilded Age made some kind of organized administration necessary, a need later somewhat realized in the administrative outcomes of the Immigration Act of 1882. Unlike the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Immigration Act of 1882 would not limit all immigration from a certain country or region.

Legislative Provisions. The act imposed a fifty-cent head tax on non-citizens arriving by steam or sail, creating an 'immigration fund' for regulation costs. It restricted criminals, the insane, and those unable to care for themselves. This 'LPC clause' introduced comprehensive subjective restrictions, later broadened by the executive branch to exclude poor individuals generally.

Administrative Impact. The Immigration Act of 1882 marked the beginning of federal oversight in immigration policy. It created the first federal immigration bureaucracy, laying the foundation for subsequent regulations like the Immigration Act of 1891. The need for organized administration during the Gilded Age was realized through these administrative outcomes.