Which statement is NOT true about the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act (Hart-Celler Act) and its results?

Which statement is NOT true about the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act (Hart-Celler Act) and its results?

• A. The act profoundly limited numbers of legal entries into the US from Mexico, resulting in rapid rise of undocumented migration.
• B. The act made deportations mandatory for immigrants that committed a broad category of crimes, resulting in mass deportations of refugees.
• C. The act was part of civil rights laws aiming to end discrimination based on race and nationality, resulting in Asians and Latinos now making up 80% of immigration to the US.
• D. The act had no significant long-term impact on immigration patterns.

Answer: (B)

This question examines how the Hart-Celler Act changed immigration policy and its long-term effects. The claim that the act made deportations mandatory for immigrants who committed a broad category of crimes, leading to mass deportations of refugees, is not true. The Hart-Celler Act repealed the old national origins quotas and replaced them with a system of regional ceilings plus per-country limits, while creating preference categories that prioritized family reunification and skilled workers. Deportation rules and enforcement exist independently of this act, and there isn’t historical evidence of mass deportations of refugees driven by it. In practice, the act shifted who could immigrate—especially increasing immigration from Asia and Latin America and altering the demographic makeup of the United States over time.

This question examines how the Hart-Celler Act changed immigration policy and its long-term effects. The claim that the act made deportations mandatory for immigrants who committed a broad category of crimes, leading to mass deportations of refugees, is not true. The Hart-Celler Act repealed the old national origins quotas and replaced them with a system of regional ceilings plus per-country limits, while creating preference categories that prioritized family reunification and skilled workers. Deportation rules and enforcement exist independently of this act, and there isn’t historical evidence of mass deportations of refugees driven by it. In practice, the act shifted who could immigrate—especially increasing immigration from Asia and Latin America and altering the demographic makeup of the United States over time.