Discourses of Exclusion: A Historical Analysis of U.S. Immigration Law vis-à-vis Asian-Americans and Latinos.

This paper analyzes three specific laws considered by Congress: the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006. This study finds that while region and party affiliation both mattered in the consideration of each of these bills, national discourse of the era and activism from constituents were the overriding factors in determining how a Senator or a Representative would vote. This paper is part of a larger project that will cover four additional landmark immigration laws in the same way, as well as pertinent ballot initiatives and international treaties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]