The law limited how many immigrants could enter the United States. For Asians, it meant nobody.
May 26, 1924: The Immigration Act of 1924, a.k.a. the Johnson-Reed Act, became law, setting strict immigration quotas based on national origin.
On May 26, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed the Immigration Act of 1924 into law, commonly known as the Johnson-Reed Act, after its two primary architects, Congressman Albert Johnson and Senator David Reed. Both men had long histories of promoting racial exclusion and white supremacy.
The law set quotas based on national origin, using the 1890 census to cap immigration at 2% of each group’s U.S. population at that time. It was a deliberate move to favor Northern and Western Europeans, while drastically reducing numbers from Southern and Eastern Europe.
The math was clear.
England or Germany: Tens of thousands
Poland or Italy: A few hundred
Asians: Zero
Not by accident. By design.
The law extended the Asian Exclusion Zone, already applied to Chinese immigrants, to nearly all Asians — including Japanese, Korean, Indian, and Filipino immigrants. Entire families were split. Communities were frozen in place. Hope was shut out.
They called it national security. They said it was to preserve American values. But when the number allowed in is zero, you have to ask:
Security for what?