Still the Golden Door: The Third World Comes to America 9780231891349

Table of contents :
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Third World Immigration Before World War II
1. The Door Opens a Little, 1943-1965
2. Braceros and Los Mojados
3. A Cautious Reform: The Immigration Act of 1965
4. The New Asian Immigrants
5. The Western Hemisphere: Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean
6. The Unwanted: Third World Refugees
7. Undocumented Aliens: People and Politics
8. A New Immigration Policy
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Citation preview

Still the Golden Door

Second Edition

QUI the Golden Door T H E T H I R D W O R L D C O M E S TO A M E R I C A

DAVID M .

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY NEW YORK

PRESS

REIMERS

C o l u m b i a University Press N e w York

Oxford

C o p y r i g h t © 1985, 1992 Columbia University Press A l l rights reserved Library of C o n g r e s s Cataloging-in-Publication Data Reimers, David M . Still the g o l d e n door : the third w o r l d comes to America / David M . R e i m e r s . — 2 d ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) a n d index. ISBN 0-231-07680-0 (alk. paper).—ISBN 0-231-07681-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. United States—Emigration a n d i m m i g r a t i o n — H i s t o r y — 2 0 t h century. 2. D e v e l o p i n g c o u n t r i e s — Emigration and i m m i g r a t i o n — H i s t o r y — 2 0 t h century. I. Title. JV6455.R45 1992 325.73—dc20 91-32758 CIP

© C a s e b o u n d editions of Columbia University Press Books are S m y t h - s e w n a n d printed on p e r m a n e n t and durable acid-free paper. Printed in the United States of America c 10

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To four immigrants MY GRANDPARENTS

Contents PREFACE

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

xi

Introduction: Third World Immigration Before World War II

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1 / The Door Opens a Little, 1943-1965

11

2 / Braceros and Los Mojados

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3 / A Cautious Reform: The Immigration Act of 1965

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4 / The New Asian Immigrants

92

5 / 77ie Western Hemisphere: Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean 6 / 77ze Unwanted: Third World Refugees 7 / Undocumented Aliens: People and Politics 8 / . 197-99, 2 0 1 > 2 ° 2 ' 2 0 3 ' 209, 225, 229, 244; see also Refugees Harlington, Texas, 199 Hart, Sen. Philip, 66, 79 Hayakawa, Sen. S. I., 153, 195 Hayes, Rutherford B., 4 Health Professions Educational Assistance Act of 1976, 88, 101 Hebrew Immigrant Aid Service, 160 Heritage Foundation, 254 Hesburgh, Father Theodore, 89 Hill, Gladwin, 52 Holland, Sen. Spessard, 76 Holtzman, Rep. Elizabeth, 212 Hondurans, 140, 141 Hosokawa, Bill, 18 Houstoun, Marion, 224, 225 Howerton, Joseph, 229 Huddleston, Sen. Warren, 153 Hudson Institute, 254 Humphrey, Sen. Hubert, 20 Hungarian Revolution of 1956, 24-25, 157 Hungarians, 25, 179, 205 Illegal Aliens, see Undocumented aliens Immigration Act of 1917, 5-6, 38

358 / Index Immigration Act of 1965, 35, 68-82, 94; preference system, 80-81, 155, 254-55; Western Hemisphere ceiling, 76-80; worldwide system, 8487, 125 Immigration Act of 1990, ix-x, 87-88, 89, 90, 155, 156, 204, 205, 255-63 Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, 20-21, 22, 25, 33, 37, 43, 45, 46, 51, 59, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 72, 79, 90, 146, 161, 163, 241, 261; see also Asia-Pacific Triangle Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), 32, 54, 58, 59, 88, 94, 124, 125, 135, 139, 143, 144, 148, 173, 188, 189, 198, 201, 203, 207, 214, 219-20, 225, 227, 228, 231, 242, 248, 249, 250, 251; Border Patrol, 39, 49' 53' 55/ 59' 208, 2 1 0 - 1 1 , 217, 254; inefficiency and corruption, 2 1 2 - 1 4 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1986, ix, 52, 89, 90, 130, 131, 140, 151, 154, 155, 156, 193, 214, 233, 253; enforcement of, 248-52; passage of 1986 bill, 240-48; special agricultural workers (SAW), 247-49, 251; see also Undocumented aliens India Bill of 1946, 15 Indians, 2, 3, 5, 21, 31, 93, 100, 1 1 4 16, 117 Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1975, 179 Indochinese, see Refugees: Cambodians; Laotians; Vietnamese Interagency Task Force on Indochina Refugees, 179 Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration, 176 International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU), 229, 235, 241 International Refugee Organization, 176 International Rescue Committee, 160 Iranians, 93, 100, 117, 1 1 8 - 1 9 , 202 Irish, x, 1, 67, 90, 253, 256, 262, 263 Irish Immigration Reform Movement, 253, 254, 259

Israelis, 117, 1 2 1 - 2 2 Italians, 1, 25, 67, 89, 91 Jamaican Progressive League, 148 Jamaicans, 93, 130, 131, 147, 148 Japanese, 1, 2, 3, 5, 22, 23, 25, 117; internment of, 9; war brides, 23, 26 Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), 18, 68, 73, 93 Japanese American Evacuation Claims Act, 18 Javits, Sen. Jacob, 79 Jews, 119, 1 2 1 - 2 2 , 205 Johnson, Lyndon B., 65, 66, 69, 84, 99, 161, 163 Judd, Rep. Walter, 13, 16-18, 20, 21, 24 Justice, Department of, 86, 202, 238 Kansas City, 135 Keating, Rep. Kenneth, 86 Kellogg, Francis, Secy, of State for Refugee and Migration Affairs, 176 Kellogg, Secy, of State Paul, 7 Kennedy, Atty. Gen. Robert, 66, 74 Kennedy, John F., 25, 36, 62-63, 64, 65, 68, 69, 99, 157, 160 Kennedy, Sen. Edward, 66, 68-69, 74' 78, 193, 194, 255, 256, 257, 259 Khmer Rouge, 183 Kim, Jay. H., 112 King, Judge James, 192 Koch, Mayor Ed, 115 Koreans, 2, 3, 5, 39, 30, 100-1, 1 1 0 14, 117, 148; economic progress, 1 1 1 - 1 3 ; greengrocers, 1 1 2 - 1 3 ; w a r brides, 23, 29-30 Korean War, 29, 31, 96 Kuchel, Sen. Thomas, 73 Kuwaitis, 206 Kwon, Jay, 113 Labor, Department of, 38, 41, 43, 71, 98, 233, 254, 258; certification, 7071, 90, 94, 123-24, 134, 147, 150, 164, 231 Laotians, 117, 180, 183-84; see also Refugees

Index / 359 Lebanese, 206 Lee, Tsung Dao, 26 Lehman, Sen. Herbert, 20 Ley, Evelio, 169 Liberians, 206 Liberty Lobby, 68 Los Angeles, 102, 105, 1 1 1 , 1 1 7 , 135, 137, 148, 208, 217, 224, 233 Los Angeles Times, 218, 235 Luce, Rep. Clare Booth, 16 Lungren, Rep. Dan, 247 McCarran, Sen. Pat, 20, 2 1 , 62 McCarran-Walter Act, see Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 McClellan, Sen. John, 78 McCollum, Rep. William, 245 McFarland, Beverly, 200 MacGregor, Rep. Clark, 77, 78 Magee, Rev. John G., 14 Manila, 100, 109 Mariel Cubans, see Cubans Marriage fraud, 88, 2 1 4 - 1 5 Marshall, Secy, of Labor Ray, 235 Martin, Graham, 176, 177 Masaoka, Mike and Etus, 18 Mazzoli, Rep. Romano, 187, 242, 245, 257 Meany, George, 178 Meese, Atty.-Gen. Edwin, 203 Meissner, Doris, 201 Mexicali, 128, 129 Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, 137, 219 Mexicans, 2, 3, 7, 9, 32-33, 37-39, 41, 46-47, 5 0 - 5 1 , 93, 1 3 1 , 132-39- M i , 169, 186, 208-9, 248-49; commuters, 33, 136; economic conditions of, 134-35, 137-39; settlement, 135, 137; undocumented aliens, 224-25 Miami, 150, 159, 167, 169, 172, 175, 199 Miami Herald, 1 7 1 Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, 160, 161 Miller, Rep. William, 65 Minneapolis, 233 Mitchell, Secy, of Labor James, 44

Moakley, Rep. Joe, 204 Mojados, Los, see Undocumented aliens Mondale, Sen. Walter, 34, 209 Moore, Rep. Arch, 70 Morrison, Rep. Bruce, 255, 257 Muslims, 1 2 1 , 1 1 9 - 2 0 Nation, 52 National Association of Evangelicals, 68 National Catholic Welfare Conference, 68 National Committee on Immigration Policy, 12 National Cotton Council, 45 National Council of Churches, 68, 191 National Council of Jewish Women, 68 National Council of La Raza, 261 National Emergency Civil Liberties Union, 191 National Geographic Magazine, 168 National origins, see Immigration Act of 1965; Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 National Parks and Conservation Magazine, 236-37 National Science Foundation (NSF), 98, 1 1 4 Nativism, against third world immigration, 3-6, 7-9, 1 5 1 - 5 4 , 186-87; decline of, 1 1 - 1 2 , 1 4 - 1 6 , 82-83; Western Hemisphere, 7-8, 76-80; see also Undocumented aliens Naturalization, Asians, 8, 1 5 - 1 7 , 1 1 3 14; Chinese, 8, 1 3 - 1 4 ; Japanese, 1 8 19; Mexicans, 137 Nelson, INS Commissioner Alan, 215 Newark, 150, 228 New Orleans, 1 4 1 , 186 New Orleans Times-Picayune, 220 New Republic, 43, 52 Newsweek, 1 5 1 New York City, 27, 100, 102, 104, 105, 1 1 1 , 1 1 3 , 1 1 5 , 122, 140, 1 4 1 , 142, 143, 145, 148-49, 150, 167, 189, 208, 2 1 1 , 215, 217, 219, 222, 225, 226, 230, 233, 253

360 / Index New York Times, 151, 171, 174, 175, l8l, 202, 213, 220

Nguyen, Dung Quoch, 184-85 Nicaraguans, 131, 132, 141, 199, 202, 203-4, 249

Nichols v. Lau, 152 Nicholson, Jack, 214 Nigerians, 34, 263 Ning, Paul, 106 Nixon, Richard M . , 63 North, David, 224, 225, 258 Noto, INS Deputy Director Mario, 214 Nurses, see Foreign Medical Professionals Oakdale, La., Detention Center, 174 O'Neill, Speaker Tip, 243-44 "Operation Babylift," see Vietnamese Oriental Exclusion Act of 1924, 6, 11, 17 Our Israel, 122 Pakistanis, 116 Palestinians, 24, 117 Panamanians, 140 Pao, General Van, 183 Patel, Ratan, 115 Peruvians, 140, 141 Physicians, see Foreign medical professionals Poles, 25, 67, 89, 202, 204, 263 Portuguese, 67, 89 Powell, Rep. Adam Clayton, 19 Protestant Church World Service, 160 Public Law 78, see Braceros Puerto Ricans, 141, 145, 169 Racism, see Nativism Randolph, A. Philip, 11 Raza, La, 137 Reader's Digest, 221 Reagan, Ronald W., 173, 174, 193, 196, 197, 198, 199, 202, 203, 241, 244

Refugee Act of 1980, ix, 157, 174, 189, 192, 193-97, 201, 205, 261

Refugee-Escapee Act of 1957, 24, 81, 161

Refugee Relief Act of 1953, 24, 26, 157, 158, 162

Refugees, 98-99, 157-59; asylum, 119, 158, 189-93, 200-2, 204-5, 209;

Cambodians, 183-84; Central Americans, 199-206; Chinese, 160-61; Cubans, 25, 196; Dutch-Indonesians, 30; Haitians, 189-93, 197-98; L a o t i a n s , 183-84, 186;

South Americans, 188-89; Soviets, 205-6; V i e t n a m e s e , 175-88

Repatriation, 7, 173-74 Rhee, Snygman, 29 Rio Grande City, 56 Rock Springs, Wyo., 4 Rodino, Rep. Peter, 85, 86, 155, 246 Rodino Bill of 1972, 233, 240 Rogers, Secy, of State William, 188 Roosevelt, Franklin D., 9 Roosevelt, Theodore, 5 Rusk, Secy, of State Dean, 66-67, 75 Russo, Phil, 229 Ruttenberg, Asst. Secy, of Labor Stanley, 70 Sacramento, 137 Saginaw News, 223 Salvadorans, 93, 131, 140, 141, 158, 199, 201, 202, 203-5, 209, 216, 244, 248, 261

Samoans, 116-17 San Antonio, 216, 217 San Diego, 117, 135, 233 San Francisco, 8, 28, 104, 105, 117, 141, 185

San Ysidro, Calif., 210 Saturday Evening Post, 43 Saxbe v. Bustos, 136 Scandinavians, 1 Schauer, John, 188 Schlei, Norbert, 75 Schlesinger, Secy, of Defense James, 176

Schumer, Rep. Charles, 247, 249 Schwartz, Abba, 63, 78 Schwartz, Rick, 254 Science, 93 Seadrift, Texas, 187 Seattle, 29 Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy, 88-89, 109-10,

Index / 361 153, 1 5 4 , 1 9 4 , 222, 232, 241, 242, 253 Select Commission on Western Hemisphere Immigration, 84-85, 123 Sensenbrenner, Rep. James, 247-48 Shin, Rev. Harold, 1 1 2 Silva v. Levi, 125, 132 Simon, Julian, 254 Simpson, Sen. Alan, 154, 155, 242, 246, 255 Simpson-Mazzoli Bill, see Immigration Reform and Control Act Skubitz, Rep. Joe, 83 Slavs, 1 Smugglers, see Coyotes South Africans, 263 Soviets, 205-6 Sowell, Thomas, 148 State, Department of, 40, 86, 93, 182, 188, 190, 1 9 1 , 202-3, 206 Stockton, Calif., 29 Swedes, 1, 6, 7 Swing, INS Commissioner Joseph M., 53' 54 Tacoma, Wash., 4 Takaki, Ronald, 16 Teitelbaum, Michael, 258 Temporary workers, see Braceros Texas Proviso, see Undocumented aliens Thais, 23, 100, 1 1 6 Thieu, Nguyen Van, 176 Thomburgh, Attorney-General Dick, 206 Thurman, Sen. Strom, 194 Tijuana, 128, 129 Toronto, 2 1 1 Torres, Esteban, 175 Truman, Harry S., 19-20, 2 1 , 61, 65, 67, 157, 161 Tucson, 135 Tucson Citizen, 220 Turks, 1 1 7 Tydings-McDuffie Act, 6-7, 29 Ugandans, 197 Ukrainians, 67 Undocumented aliens, 37, 42, 48-50,

51- 54-55. 57"6O, 1 2 1 , 126-27, 144, 149, 207-32; amnesty, 241-49, 261; employer sanctions, 5 1 - 5 2 , 238-39, 241-42, 250-52; "Operation Wetback (Mexicans)," 33, 39, 53-54, 58, 59, 207; settlement, 224-25; social services, 225, 233, 237-38; Texas Proviso, 5 1 - 5 2 , 239; treatment of, 224-31; see also Coyotes Union City, N.J., 167, 175 United Farm Workers (UFW), 230, 235 United Packinghouse Workers, 43 U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, 176, 1 8 1 , 199 U.N. Protocol on Refugees, 190, 1 9 1 , 193- 194 U.S. Civil Rights Commission, 209, 214 U.S. Employment Service, 40 U.S. English, 153 U.S. News and World Report, 1 5 1 , 220 Vietnamese, 23, 93, 1 1 7 , 158, 175-88; adjustment of, 185-88; boat people, 180-81; "Operation Babylift," 1 7 6 77; orderly departure program, 181-82; see also Refugees Vietnam War, 99, 175-76 VOLAGS (Voluntary Agencies Responsible for Refugees), 67, 158, 159, 160, 172, 178, 179, 1 8 1 , 184, 188, 192, 204, 206, 249, 254, 260 Vorhees, Tracy S., 160 Voting Rights Act of 1965, 66, 82, 152 Wall Street Journal, 83, 1 2 1 , 152, 220 Walter, Rep. Francis, 61, 62, 66 War brides, 2 1 , 23 War Brides Act of 1945, 2 1 - 2 2 , 25, 26 War Manpower Commission, 41 Washington, D.C., 1 4 1 , 215, 219 Washington Post, 154, 168, 214 Welsh, 1 Western Hemisphere ceiling, see Immigration Act of 1965 West Indians, 3, 7-8, 9, 19, 33, 146-49 West N e w York, N.J., 167

362 / Index Wetbacks, see Undocumented aliens White, Theodore, 152 Whom Shall We Welcome?, 61, 161 Wirtz, Secy, of Labor Willard, 45, 83

Yang, Chen Ning, 26 Yzaguirre, Paul, 261 Zaccaro, John, 104 Zero Population Growth, 236, 241