Purpose: To Establish Immigration Quotas
Date: June 30, 1924
(Original document available here)
Whereas it is provided in the Act of Congress approved May 26, 1924, entitled “An Act to limit the immigration of aliens into the United States, and for other purposes” that –
“The annual quota of any nationality shall be two per centum of the number of foreign-born individuals of such nationality resident in continental United States as determined by the United States census of 1890, but the minimum quota of any nationality shall be 100″ (Sec. 11(a);
“For the purposes of this Act nationality shall be determined by country of birth (Sec. 12(a);
“The Secretary of State, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of Labor, jointly, shall, as soon as feasible after the enactment of this Act, prepare a statement showing the number of individuals of the various nationalities resident in continental United States as determined by the United States census of 1890, which statement shall be the population basis for the purposes of subdivision (a) of section 11” (Sec. 12 (b);
“Such officials shall, jointly, report annually to the President the quota of each nationality under subdivision (a) of section 11, together with the statements, estimates, and revisions provided for in this section. The President shall proclaim and make known the quotas so reported.” (Sec. 12(e).
And Whereas satisfactory evidence has been presented to me that the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of Labor, pursuant to the authority conferred upon them in the Act of Congress approved May 26, 1924, have made the statement and the quotas therein provided,
Now, therefore, I, Calvin Coolidge, President of the United States of America, acting under and by virtue of the power in me vested by the aforesaid Act of Congress, do hereby proclaim and make known that on and after July 1, 1924, and throughout the fiscal year 1924-1925, the quota of each nationality provided in the said Act shall be as follows:
* For each of the countries indicated by an asterisk (*) is established a normal quota according to the minimum fixed by law. These nominal quotas, as in the case of all quotas hereby established, are available only for persons born within the respective countries who are eligible for citizenship in the United States and admissible under the immigration laws of the United States.
1. (a) Persons born in the portions of Persia, Russia, or the Arabian peninsula situated within the Barred Zone, and who are admissible under the immigration laws of the United States as quota immigrants, will be charged to the quotas of these countries; and (b) persons born in the colonies, dependencies, or protectorates, or portions thereof, within the Barred Zone, of France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, or Portugal, who are admissible under the immigration laws of the United States as quota immigrants, will be charged to the quota of the country to which such colony or dependency belongs or by which it is administered as a protectorate.
2. The quota-area denominated “Arabian peninsula” consists of all territory except Muscat and Aden, situated in the portion of that peninsula and adjacent islands, to the southeast of Iraq, of Palestine with Trans-Jordan, and of Egypt.
3. Quota immigrants born in the British self-governing dominions or in the Empire of India, will be charged to the appropriate quota rather than to that of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. There are no quota restrictions for Canada and Newfoundland.
4. As shown on Chart No. 1262a, Hydrographic office, United States Navy Department.
5. Quota immigrants eligible to citizenship in the United States, born in a colony, dependency, or protectorate of any country to which a quota applies will be charged to the quota of that country.
6. In contrast with the law of 1921, the Immigration Act of 1924 provides that persons born in the colonies or dependencies of European countries situated in Central America, South America, or the islands adjacent to the American continents (except Newfoundland and islands pertaining to Newfoundland, Labrador and Canada), will be charged to the quota of the country to which such colony or dependency belongs.
General Note. The immigration quotas assigned to the various countries and quota-areas should not be regarded as having any political significance whatever, or as involving recognition of new governments, or of new boundaries, or of transfers of territory except as the United States Government has already made such recognition in a formal and official manner.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this thirtieth day of June, in the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and forty-eighth.
Citation: The Statutes at Large of the United States of America from December, 1923 to March, 1925
The Coolidge Foundation gratefully acknowledges the volunteer efforts of Nicholas Jose Tenuto, who prepared this document for digital publication.