Emergency Quota Act of 1921

Also known at the Emergency Immigration Act of 1921, the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 proved to be a highly controversial piece of legislation, placing, for the first time, a direct quota on nationalities for immigration into America. Proponents of the measure cited anarchist and unlawful elements of the migrant population as well as adverse impacts of foreign labor influxes on American workers. Some even spoke of the “poisonous” influence of European and other migration that threatened American ideals. The act primarily targeted ...