The 1960’s and the 1970’s brought several changes to U.S. Immigration policy and to the New York region in general. In 1960, the total population in New York was 10,695,963. That same year, the US Census Bureau reported that the population of those in New York who were not U.S. Citizens was 1,858,902. That’s a significant 17.379% of the population.

During this time, US immigration was monitored and limited by a quota system predetermined by country of origin. This quota system was highly restrictive and often favored European immigrants while being biased against those of Asian orient. Many immigrant groups detested the quota system such as the Greeks, Polish, Portuguese, Italians, and the Asians. In fact in 1962, President Kennedy himself described the quota system as “intolerable.”

Signing of the 1965 Hart-Cellar Act

This changed with the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, also known as the Hart-Celler Act, was passed. This abolished the quota system based on country of origin and established a new policy that encouraged entire families to immigrate as well family members to immigrate and reunite with others already in the U.S. The Hart-Celler Act also worked to attract skilled laborers to the U.S. as well as offer assistance to victims and refugees of political violence and unrest. Once the quota system was abolished, immigration from Asia to the US skyrocketed. In fact the immigration rate for Asians more than quadrupled. By the late 1960’s almost half a million Asian immigrants had arrived in our borders. 

US infantrymen on a search and destroy mission in Vietnam

Asian immigrants were not only driven to U.S. borders by the change in policy, they also were influenced by the ongoing wars in Southern Asia and the resulting political state. At this point, it was ten years into the Vietnam War, and with no end to look forward too, those of Asian orient began to flock to the U.S. to escape the war torn homelands especially in Southern Asian countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia. This heavy wave of immigration continued and did not begin to trickle off until after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.

The Vietnam War was not the only form of political upheaval to drive immigration in the US. Even though the Cold War started in 1945, it continued to raise tension until the early 1990’s. While people in communist societies were unable to freely leave, they faced many hardships such as poverty and strict leadership. Those that were able to escape often came to the U.S. from communist countries such as Cuba and (present day) Russia, as well as the other countries that made up the U.S.S.R. In fact during this time period, there were over 2,290,267 immigrants from the U.S.S.R. living in the U.S.

The changes in immigration policy that occurred during the 1960’s and 1970’s spurred on new waves of immigration that had not been seen in decades. However, this “open door” was not enough to draw the masses of people to within our borders. Wars and political instability that seemed to ravage many other parts of the world during this time did just as much to help create the nation of immigrants that we are today.