Immigration and Nationality Act (INA, 1952; as amended)

1) Link to the Text of the Act
Read the statute (8 U.S.C. § 1101 et seq.)

2) Why It Was Done
The INA consolidated earlier immigration laws into a single framework, defining rules for immigration, naturalization, deportation, and asylum. It replaced the patchwork of 19th–early 20th century laws, including the Chinese Exclusion Acts and national origins quotas.

3) Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
Before the INA, immigration law was governed by multiple acts (e.g., Immigration Act of 1924) that imposed discriminatory quotas. The INA unified and modernized U.S. immigration law.