Johnson-Reed Act imposes national origins quotas and Asian exclusion

Congress enacts the Immigration Act of 1924, also known as the Johnson-Reed Act, on May 26, 1924. The law creates restrictive national origins quotas favoring immigration from northern and western Europe and sharply limiting immigration from other regions. The statute also bars immigrants ineligible for citizenship, which at the time includes most Asian people. The law reflects eugenics-influenced ideas about racial hierarchy and aims to preserve what its supporters call America's racial character. The quota system becomes the foundation of immigration restriction until the 1960s.