What is it about the word “Immigration” that creates such trepidation, not only in America, but worldwide? Obviously, it connotes different things to different people but, currently, it is as potent a trigger word for some as the movies Psycho and Halloween are fear inducers for most moviegoers.

It wasn’t always that way, certainly not in the United States. After all, most Americans, generations past, were immigrants. No matter how distant the relative, they (except, of course, native Americans), arrived on our shores for a variety of reasons, the most prominent one being the pursuit of a better life. That was largely the pattern until around the turn of the century, and then the period following World War I, a time when new borders were being drawn in Europe and the Levant, and people were on the move. Eventually, by the early 1920’s, many of those knocking on America’s door were met with human barriers designed to keep them out, relying on violence in some cases, and the law in others. The culmination of the latter approach was the 1924 Immigration Act, which codified admission by nationality and point of origin, the intention being to allow entry to certain groups (largely those who were white and from western Europe), and to keep out individuals from countries and regions viewed less favorably by many Americans, including President Coolidge and a majority of members of Congress.

The aforementioned immigration legislation was replaced by the 1965 Immigration Act (which abolished the racial preferences and national quotas established by the earlier law). The 1924 act, to make sure no-one misses the trees for the forest, prohibited Jews and other threatened groups from being able to enter the United States at a time of existential danger—Nazi control over most of Europe.

While the 1965 Immigration Act lifted immigration restrictions on certain groups, Latin Americans,  who were not limited earlier, were now targeted. Today, of course,  individuals from south of the U.S.–Mexican border who seek entry to this country, face having their children seized by border agents and transferred to centers that are little better than holding pens. As I write, a few days after election day, one of the major issues upon which voters continue to ponder is immigration. Trump has targeted Muslims and Hispanics, and they have become subject to the worst racial attacks our country has witnessed since the 1920’s.

The purpose of the 1924 Act, according to the Office of the Historian for the Department of State, was “to preserve the ideal of American homogeneity” in deciding who was admitted to the U.S. Within fifteen years from its enactment, Germany began to implement similar policies, using murder and Genocide to keep their country “pure.” Was America, by way of its racial and religious restrictions, an accomplice to that horror? Of course! Are we ready to countenance modern day, largely non-violent yet horrific versions of similar policies and actions?  So far, the answer is not a comfortable one.