Johnson-Reed Act

The Immigration Act of 1924, or Johnson–Reed Act, including the National Origins Act, and Asian Exclusion Act (Pub.L. 68–139, 43 Stat. 153, enacted May 26, 1924), was a United States federal law that limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to 2% of the number of people from that country who were already living in the United States in 1890, down from the 3% cap set by the Immigration Restriction Act of 1921, according to the Census of 1890. It superseded the 1921 Emergency Quota Act. The law was primarily aimed at further restricting immigration of Southern Europeans and Eastern Europeans.[1] In addition, it severely restricted the immigration of Africans and outright banned the immigration of Arabs and Asians. According to the U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian the purpose of the act was "to preserve the ideal of American homogeneity".

I've read many articles and reports that mentioned several things that impacted the rise of the Mafia, but rarely if ever is the Johnson-Reed Act brought up.

I think such a tough immigration law halted the migration of whichever group would have been the next up to arrive to America in droves. Their criminal element would have been brought here along with the majority of honest hardworking immigrants.

Might have caused problems for existing OC groups.


For a reference, this was during Prohibition (1920-33)