It’s been 100 years since the 1924 Immigration Act was signed into law. It shaped the U.S. immigration system and established racial quotas.

For 100 years, the Immigration Act of 1924 has been a blight on American society. Will it take another 100 years to uproot that ugly law? Jeff Jacoby can be reached at [email protected].

The most obvious harm caused by the 1924 Immigration Act was consigning many millions of would-be immigrants to a lifetime of poverty and oppression in their countries of origin.