What were the provisions of anti-immigration laws passed in the 1920s?

Answer 1

In 1921, Congress enacted a law limiting annual Immigration to the US to 350,000 people per year. Each year, European nations could send to the US a number equal to 3 percent of its nationals who were in the US in the year 1910. In 1924, Congress amended the immigration law and reduced the number of immigrants to 150,000, and the quota to 2 percent, and the base year to 1890. This law favored immigration from nations like Great Britain, but discriminated against central and eastern European nations like Poland, Russia and Syria.

Answer 2

You are asking about the Comprehensive Immigration Act, which President Calvin Coolidge signed into law in 1924. At the time, it was the most stringent immigration policy in American history. Congress (which was nearly entirely comprised of white, upper-class, Christian men) was very concerned about the US being over-run with too many immigrants, especially those who were considered "lower-class." Ordinary Americans of that time were also concerned about non-white immigrants in general, reflecting the prejudices of that era. Thus, one of the provisions of the new law was that certain groups were not to be welcomed: they included Mexicans and Japanese, as well as Eastern and Southern Europeans who lacked a college degree or special skills.