‘George W. Bush ran in 2000 and 2004 on immigration reform and he was supporting a path to citizenship for some of these illegal immigrants,’ says historian Robert Fleegler from the University of Mississippi. read more
Starting in the late 19th century, race-based restrictions kept Asian immigration to a trickle. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act largely did what the name suggests; by 1924 Congress had barred all Asian groups. read more
Then-Gov. Janet Napolitano signed the Arizona law in 2007, saying that while immigration is a federal responsibility, Arizona had been forced to deal with the issue because the demand for cheap, undocumented labor in the state was contributing to illegal immigration. read more