Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn Act To revise the laws relating to immigration, naturalization, and nationality; and for other purposes.
Acronyms (colloquial)INA
NicknamesMcCarran–Walter Act
Enacted bythe 82nd United States Congress
EffectiveJune 27, 1952
Citations
Public law82-414
Statutes at Large66 Stat. 163
Codification
Titles amended8 U.S.C.: Aliens and Nationality
U.S.C. sections created8 U.S.C. ch. 12
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the House as H.R. 5678 by Francis E. Walter (D-PA) on October 9, 1951
  • Passed the House on April 25, 1952 (206–68[1])
  • Passed the Senate on May 22, 1952 (voice vote[2])
  • Reported by the joint conference committee on May 23, 1952; agreed to by the House on June 10, 1952 (302–53[3]) and by the Senate on June 11, 1952 (voice vote[4])
  • Vetoed by President Harry S. Truman[5] on June 25, 1952
  • Overridden by the House on June 26, 1952 (278–113[6])
  • Overridden by the Senate and became law on June 27, 1952 (57–26[7])
Major amendments
Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994
USA PATRIOT Act

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (Pub. L. 82–414, 66 Stat. 163, enacted June 27, 1952), also known as the McCarran–Walter Act, codified under Title 8 of the United States Code (8 U.S.C. ch. 12), governs immigration to and citizenship in the United States.[8] It came into effect on June 27, 1952. The legislation consolidated various immigration laws into a single text.[9] Officially titled the Immigration and Nationality Act, it is often referred to as the 1952 law to distinguish it from the 1965 legislation.[9] This law increased the quota for Europeans outside Northern and Western Europe, gave the Department of State authority to reject entries affecting native wages, eliminated 1880s bans on contract labor, set a minimum quota of one hundred visas per country, and promoted family reunification by exempting citizens' children and spouses from numerical caps.[9]

  1. ^ "House Acts to Give Asians Citizenship and End Race Bars". The New York Times. April 26, 1952. p. 1.
  2. ^ Trussell, C.P. (May 23, 1952). "Alien Bill Passed Intact by Senate". The New York Times. p. 1.
  3. ^ Trussell, C.P. (June 11, 1952). "Immigration Bill Passed by House; Senate Is Expected to Act Today". The New York Times. p. 5.
  4. ^ Trussell, C.P. (June 12, 1952). "Congress Passes Immigration Bill: Voice Vote in Senate Sends It to President as Opposition Virtually Collapses". The New York Times. p. 1.
  5. ^ Leviero, Anthony (June 26, 1952). "President Vetoes Immigration Bill As Discriminatory". The New York Times. p. 1.
  6. ^ Trussell, C.P. (June 27, 1952). "Immigration Bill Repassed by House Over Truman Veto: McCarran Measure to Codify Alien Laws Wins 17 Votes Over Two-thirds Majority". The New York Times. p. 1.
  7. ^ Trussell, C.P. (June 28, 1952). "Congress Enacts Immigration Bill over Truman Veto: Senate, 57-26, Follows House on Overriding President—Law Effective in 6 Months". The New York Times. p. 1.
  8. ^ "The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (The McCarran-Walter Act)". Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute. United States Department of State.
  9. ^ a b c Baxter, Andrew M.; Nowrasteh, Alex (2021). A Brief History of U.S. Immigration Policy from the Colonial Period to the Present Day (Report). Cato Institute.