Resources on the 50th Anniversary of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

October 3, 2015 marks the 50^th anniversary of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. The measure, which abolished discriminatory national-origin quotas that had limited most immigration except from northwestern Europe, dramatically altered the immigration landscape in the United States and remains the underpinning for much of the legal immigration system today. Use the resources below to learn more about the history of immigration law, including the passage and implications of the ’65 Act, and how the immigrant population in the United States has changed in the 50 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the transformative act into law.

Event Video
The Immigration Act of 1965: Then and Now

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of passage of the Immigration Act of 1965, this symposium focuses on the political and policy dynamics that came together to make the law possible and how it changed the U.S. legal immigration system, the country's demographics, and future. Download the transcript of the event here.

Explore the History of U.S. Immigration Law and Policy

• Fifty Years On, the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act Continues to Reshape the United States
• Rethinking the Last 200 Years of U.S. Immigration Policy
• Today's Immigration Policy Debates: Do We Need a Little History?
• Immigration and America’s Future: A New Chapter
• Major U.S. Immigration Laws, 1790 - Present
• Key Immigration Laws and Policy Developments Since 1986
• The Geopolitical Origins of the U.S. Immigration Act of 1965
• As Immigration Reform Stalls in Congress, Activists Take a Page from the Civil-Rights Movement

Find Out How Immigration Flows Have Changed Over Time

• In Historic Shift, New Migration Flows from Mexico Fall Below Those from China and India
• Data Tool: Legal Immigration to the United States, 1820-Present
• Data Tool: Regions of Birth for Immigrants in the United States, 1960-Present
• Data Tool: Countries of Birth for U.S. Immigrants, 1960-Present

For more interactive data tools on changing immigration patterns in the Unites States, visit the MPI Data Hub’s U.S. Immigration Trends page

Learn About Immigrant Populations in the United States

• Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States
• Select Diaspora Populations in the United States
• Library of Demographic Spotlight Articles, including:
• Mexican Immigrants in the United States
• Central American Immigrants in the United States
• Indian Immigrants in the United States
• Chinese Immigrants in the United States
• An Analysis of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States by Country and Region of Birth