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| Citations | |
|---|---|
| Public law | Pub. L. 79–483 |
| Statutes at Large | 60 Stat. 416 |
| Legislative history | |
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TheLuce–Celler Act of 1946, Pub. L. No. 79-483, 60 Stat. 416, is an Act of theUnited States Congress which set an immigration quota forFilipinos and Indians. The quota was 100 for each group.[2][3] This was the first time people from these groups were entitled tonaturalize asAmerican citizens.[4][5] Upon becoming citizens, these new Americans could own property under their names and even petition for their immediate family members from abroad.[6] This Act was especially important because it recognized the rights of individuals who had previously suffered from discrimination.[7] The Luce–Celler Act was one of the first cracks in the racist “Asiatic Barred Zone” and 1917 Immigration Act, which banned almost all Asian immigration.[8] It followed the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943 (Magnuson Act)—marking a slow shift in policy.
The Act was proposed by RepublicanClare Boothe Luce and DemocratEmanuel Celler in 1943 and signed into law by US PresidentHarry S. Truman on July 2, 1946, two days before thePhilippines became independent with the signing of theTreaty of Manila on July 4, 1946. Because of the imminent independence of the Philippines, Filipinos would have beenbarred from immigrating without the Act.[9]
Prior to 1946,Indian nationals were not eligible to naturalize in the United States.[10][11] They were also not allowed to obtain any form of permanent residency, a legal status introduced later under theImmigration and Nationality Act of 1952.
The Philippines was granted independence in 1946, and Filipinos, then barred from immigration along with individuals from other countries in the "Eastern Hemisphere," were allotted 100 immigration slots (Yu 1980).
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