February 23, 2021
Today I attended a webinar titled “Our Country is Full: Roots and Consequences of America’s 1921 Immigration Act 100 Years Later.” The panel included Ashley Johnson Bavery, Eastern Michigan University; Linda Gordon, New York University; and Alexandra Minna Stern, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. They focused on the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the 1924 Immigration Act, and the effects they still have today. One example of this that Gordon explained was the similarities between the Ku Klux Klan and modern white nationalists. There has always been an anti-immigrant voice in the United States. It has fluctuated between quiet and loud throughout the years but it is still there. I think this comparison is accurate and is something I often see in social media. Bavery talked about how Border Patrol used to protect the northern border and most Americans were strongly against it. It brought up questions about how to protect our borders, and whether we need protection there at all. These questions are still being asked today.
I really enjoyed this event, especially what Bavery said about the formation of the Border Patrol. I felt it was informational and still engaging. I still plan on becoming an immigration attorney, and learning about the history of immigration in the United States is important for my education.