Syrian refugee charged w/ plotting Islamic State bomb attack against North Side church

[gg]

Originally Posted by gladhands

You do know that it’s easier to get a US visa coming from some countries than it is from others, right? There is no singular US immigration law, where everyone gets the same set of rules. If you want to have an honest conversation, then you should accept and acknowledge that US immigration law is, and always has been racist. The very first restriction on immigration into this country is literally called the Chinese exclusion act, which was created… Well, I’m sure you can guess why.

Not sure if I would call it "racist". I would look at it as we are more inclined to be concerned with people coming in from countries that clearly hate western ways and will go to war in the name of a potentially violent religion. I would hope we would be more concerned with those coming from the Middle East for obvious reasons. 9/11 comes to mind along with the Boston Marathon and more and more and more. Just like this young person that wanted to kill a bunch of people here in Pittsburgh. I think most people would agree we should either not let them in or spend one heck of a lot of time investigating them. Racist? No. Just common sense.

[tyovan4]

Originally Posted by gladhands

The very first restriction on immigration into this country is literally called the Chinese exclusion act, which was created… Well, I’m sure you can guess why.

I'll gently, and respectfully, correct you.
The Alien and Sedition Acts predated the Chinese Exclusion Act by several decades.

"The Alien and Sedition Acts were four laws passed by the Federalist-dominated 5th United States Congress and signed into law by President John Adams in 1798.They made it harder for an immigrant to become a citizen (Naturalization Act), allowed the president to imprison and deport non-citizens who were deemed dangerous (Alien Friends Act of 1798) or who were from a hostile nation (Alien Enemy Act of 1798),and criminalized making false statements that were critical of the federal government (Sedition Act of 1798)."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_and_Sedition_Acts

"The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers. Building on the 1875 Page Act, which banned Chinese women from immigrating to the United States, the Chinese Exclusion Act was the first law implemented to prevent all members of a specific ethnic or national group from immigrating."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act

If the topic interests you, I'll give you a book recommendation. I recently checked it out from the library. It's written from a bit of a left-wing perspective, and the author does have some tendency to editorialize. I don't think it would bother you though.

"As renowned historian Roger Daniels shows in this brilliant new work, America's inconsistent, often illogical, and always cumbersome immigration policy has profoundly affected ourrecent past.Immigration policy in Daniels' skilled hands shows Americans at their best and worst, from the nativist violence that forced Theodore Roosevelt's 1907 "gentlemen's agreement" with Japan to the generous refugee policies adopted after World War Two and throughout the Cold War. And in a conclusion drawn from today's headlines, Daniels makes clear how far ignorance, partisan politics, and unintended consequences have overtaken immigration policy during the current administration's War on Terror.Irreverent, deeply informed, and authoritative, Guarding the Golden Door presents an unforgettable interpretation of modern American history."
Guarding the Golden Door by Roger Daniels. https://librarycatalog.einetwork.net/Record/.b24375044

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by tyovan4

I'll gently, and respectfully, correct you.
The Alien and Sedition Acts predated the Chinese Exclusion Act by several decades.

"The Alien and Sedition Acts were four laws passed by the Federalist-dominated 5th United States Congress and signed into law by President John Adams in 1798.They made it harder for an immigrant to become a citizen (Naturalization Act), allowed the president to imprison and deport non-citizens who were deemed dangerous (Alien Friends Act of 1798) or who were from a hostile nation (Alien Enemy Act of 1798),and criminalized making false statements that were critical of the federal government (Sedition Act of 1798)."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_and_Sedition_Acts

"The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers. Building on the 1875 Page Act, which banned Chinese women from immigrating to the United States, the Chinese Exclusion Act was the first law implemented to prevent all members of a specific ethnic or national group from immigrating."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act

If the topic interests you, I'll give you a book recommendation. I recently checked it out from the library. It's written from a bit of a left-wing perspective, and the author does have some tendency to editorialize. I don't think it would bother you though.

"As renowned historian Roger Daniels shows in this brilliant new work, America's inconsistent, often illogical, and always cumbersome immigration policy has profoundly affected ourrecent past.Immigration policy in Daniels' skilled hands shows Americans at their best and worst, from the nativist violence that forced Theodore Roosevelt's 1907 "gentlemen's agreement" with Japan to the generous refugee policies adopted after World War Two and throughout the Cold War. And in a conclusion drawn from today's headlines, Daniels makes clear how far ignorance, partisan politics, and unintended consequences have overtaken immigration policy during the current administration's War on Terror.Irreverent, deeply informed, and authoritative, Guarding the Golden Door presents an unforgettable interpretation of modern American history."
Guarding the Golden Door by Roger Daniels. https://librarycatalog.einetwork.net/Record/.b24375044

The alien and sedition acts did not actually place any restrictions on immigration. They gave the government the power to deport and placed limits on naturalization. The Chinese exclusion act is the first immigration restriction.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by tyovan4

"The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers. Building on the 1875 Page Act, which banned Chinese women from immigrating to the United States, the Chinese Exclusion Act was the first law implemented to prevent all members of a specific ethnic or national group from immigrating."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act

I

but what is your take on the REASON for it? Because they didn't like east asians? racism?
or fear of an influx of inexpensive labor?

[tyovan4]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

but what is your take on the REASON for it? Because they didn't like east asians? racism?
or fear of an influx of inexpensive labor?

Both.. they didnt like Asians and felt that they were amoral. Few Chinese women came, so I assume there was also fear of miscegenation.
And also lack of desire for economic competition from cheap labor (in the mines and building the railroads)..

Thats my understanding of the situation.