The 1943 Magnuson Immigration Act, commonly known as the "Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act," signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and approved by Congress on Dec. 17, 1943, dictated:
"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That... Acts or parts of Acts relating to the exclusion or deportation of persons of the Chinese race are hereby repealed... With the exception of those coming under subsections (b), (d), (e), and (f) of section 4, Immigration Act of 1924 (43 Stat. 155; 44 Stat. 812; 45 Stat. 1009; 46 Stat. 854; 47 Stat. 656; 8 U.S.C. 2040, all Chinese persons entering the United States annually as immigrants shall be allocated to the quota for the Chinese computed under the provisions of section 11 of the said Act. A preference up to 75 per centum of the quota shall be given to Chinese born and resident in China... Section 303 of the Nationality Act of 1940, as amended (54 Stat. 1140; 8 U.S.C. 703), is hereby amended by striking out the word 'and' before the word 'descendants', changing the colon after the word 'Hemisphere' to a comma, and adding the following: 'and Chinese persons or persons of Chinese descent...' Approved December 17, 1943."
Roger Daniels, PhD, Professor of History at the University of Cincinnati, in his 2004 book entitled Guarding the Golden Door: American Immigration Policy and Immigrants Since 1882, wrote:
"...The repeal of the once sacrosanct Chinese Exclusion Act... was the result of pressure group politics in wartime... Its key instrument was the akwardly named Ctizens Committee to Repeal Chinese Exclusion and Place Immigration On a Quota Basis. [...] The bill Congress acted on, introduced into the House by Warren Magnuson (D-WA), was a relatively simple three-part measure. The first part repealed some or all fifteen statutes enacted between 1882 and 1913 which had enforced Chinese exclusion. The second gave a quota to 'persons of the Chinese race,' set at 105 annualy, with a preference of up to 75 percent given to persons 'born and resident in China.' The third part amended the nationality act so that 'Chinese persons or persons of Chinese descent' were eligible for naturalization on the same terms as other elegible aliens. The bill was supported by the congressional leaders of both parties and it passed both Houses of Congress... Although it was only a small step toward an ethnically egalitarian immigration and naturalization policy, it can now be seen that the repeal of Chinese exclusion was the hinge on which the nearly closed golden door of immigration began to swing open again."
William Wei, PhD, Professor of History at the University of Colorado at Boulder, in a essay entitled "The Chinese-American Experience: An Introduction," from HarpWeek.com (accessed Apr. 23, 2007), stated:
"After China became an ally during World War II, the exclusion laws proved to be an embarrassment and were finally repealed by the Magnuson Act in 1943. This bill made it possible for Chinese to become naturalized citizens and gave them an annual quota of 105 immigrants. While the bill ended an injustice that had been committed sixty-one years earlier, the damage to the Chinese community had already been done... As the annual quota of 105 immigrants indicates, America’s immigration policy was restrictive and particularly discriminatory against Chinese and other Asians. Equality in immigration only came with the enactment of the Immigration Act of 1965."
Karen J. Leong, PhD, Associate Professor of the Women's Studies Program and Asian Pacific American Studies Program at Arizona State University, in a Summer 2003 Journal of American Ethnic History essay entitled "Foreign Policy, National Identity, and Citizenship: The Roosevelt White House and the Expediency of Repeal," offered the following:
"On 17 December 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Magnuson bill, which repealed Chinese Exclusion with three results: it officially ended Chinese Exclusion, allowed Chinese in the United States to become naturalized citizens, and placed the immigration of persons immigrating to the United States from China on a quota basis. [...] Roosevelt, by supporting the Magnuson bill to repeal Chinese exclusion, was thus able to satisfy the demands of the Chinese government and demonstrate political leadership in getting a bill passed without extended political struggle... By minimizing the amount of change, Roosevelt was able to allay domestic resistance to Chinese inclusion and accommodate domestic racism against Asians, while yet maintaining the myth of American equality for all.
[...] Although a majority of Americans did not favor an increase in immigrants, particularly from Asia, international diplomacy proved persuasive. [...] The president's articulation of repeal as a measure for the purposes of national security effectively redefined repeal as a matter of foreign policy. [...] As the United States took on a global role, based upon a perceived moral basis, domestic policy also had to be consistent with that moral position. The role of United States in world politics directly affected Americans as well."
Illegal Immigration Around the World: 13 Countries Compared to the United States
