Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
The Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965 (also known as the Hart-Celler Act or the INS Act of 1965) abolished the national-origin quotas that had been in place in the United States since the Immigration Act of 1924. It was proposed by Emanuel Celler and heavily supported by Senator Ted Kennedy.
An annual limitation of 170,000 visas was established for immigrants from Eastern Hemisphere countries with no more than 20,000 per country. By 1968, the annual limitation from the Western Hemisphere was set at 120,000 immigrants, with visas available on a first-come, first-served basis.
In the democratic controlled Congress, the House of Representatives voted 326 to 69 in favor of the act while the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 76 to 18. President Lyndon Johnson signed the legislation into law.
The Act was influenced by the Civil Rights Movement.
The Act also began the rejuvenation of the Asian American community in the United States by abolishing the Chinese Exclusion Act (United States) that had restricted immigration from Asia since 1882. Increased numbers of Asian immigrants then began arriving, renewing Asian communities that had nearly died out.
Many people feel that this act dramatically changed the face of American society by making it a multicultural nation. Prior to the act the United States was primarily a nation comprised of white Europeans and African Americans. Since the implementation of the law the relative proportion of the white population has been in steady decline. Hispanics have replaced African Americans as the largest ethnic minority in the U.S. There has been enormous growth of immigration from non-European derived peoples since the implementation of the law.
See also: List of United States Immigration Acts