Table 2.

Landscape of Immigration-related Legislation and Executive Orders.

Year, President	Name of Legislation or Executive Order	Policy Description and Impacts on Healthcare Access and Health
1965, Lydon B. Johnson (D)	Immigration and Nationality Act (Hart-Cellar Act)	• Both restrictive and inclusive policy • Replaced the National Origins Formula immigration quota system with a seven-category preference system; prioritized visas based on family preferences (e.g., individuals who had relatives who were US citizens, legal permanent residents) and skill-based preferences
1975, Gerald Ford (R)	Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act	• Inclusive immigration policy • Allowed refugees from Cambodia and Vietnam to enter the US at the end of the Vietnam War; amended in 1976 to allow refugees from Laos to enter the US
1976, Gerald Ford (R)	Immigration and National Act Amendments of 1976	• Both restrictive and inclusive policy • Extended the visas ceiling to 20,000 immigrants per country for North and South American and modified the preference system; specifically impacted Mexico with the 20,000-visa cap
1978, Jimmy Carter (D)	Immigration and National Act Amendments of 1978	• Inclusive immigration policy • Increased the annual visas ceiling to 290,000 immigrants and implemented uniform preference system for all countries
1980, Jimmy Carter (D)	Refugee Act of 1980	• Inclusive immigration policy • Created general policy for refugees; refugees were removed from the immigration preference system which increased the number of refugees entering the US; created the Federal Refugee Resettlement Program to assist with refugee resettlement and economic
1986, Ronald Reagan (R)	Immigration Reform and Control Act (Simpson-Mazzoli Act or IRCA)	• Both restrictive and inclusive policy • Created a pathway to permanent residency to unauthorized immigrant workers (e.g., agriculture industries); created new visa categories for temporary agricultural workers (H-2A) and temporary non-agricultural workers (H-2B); criminalized hiring of undocumented workers
1990, George H. W. Bush (R)	Immigration Act of 1990	• Inclusive immigration policy • Increased the annual visas ceiling; revised visa limits on certain visa categories (e.g., H-1B visas for temporary skilled workers)
1996, Bill Clinton (D)	Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA or “welfare reform”)	• Restrictive immigration policy • Set limits on access to federally funded health insurance, food assistance, and cash assistance for two group of immigrants (qualified and non-qualified), based on immigration status, age, year of entry to the US and residency in the US or income (Gelatt & Koball, 2014) • Non-qualified immigrants include undocumented/unauthorized immigrants, persons with Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and other lawfully present immigrants such as those with temporary student and work visas • Made it harder for low-income, lawfully present immigrants to qualify for all federally funded public assistance benefits by requiring them to claim their sponsors’ income as their own income until they naturalize or complete 10 years of qualifying employment
1996, Bill Clinton (D)	Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA)	• Restrictive immigration policy • Increased enforcement of immigration restrictions like border policing and verification of employment credentials • Restricted immigrant eligibility for public benefits (e.g., people lost Medicaid coverage due to restrictions on non-citizen eligibility) or eligible immigrants voluntarily withdrew from Medicaid (Hagan et al., 2003)
2000, Bill Clinton (D)	Legal Immigration Family Equity (LIFE) and LIFE Act Amendments	• Both restrictive and inclusive policy • Allowed families to stay together during the immigration process; created K-3 (e.g., spouses of US citizens) and K-4 (e.g., unmarried minor children of US citizens) visas
2002, George W. Bush (R)	Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act	• Restrictive immigration policy • Expanded immigration enforcement infrastructure after the September 11, 2001 attacks
2002, George W. Bush (R)	Homeland Security Act	• Restrictive immigration policy • Created the US Department of Homeland Security and Secretary of Homeland Security position after the September 11, 2001 attacks
2005, George W. Bush (R)	Real ID Act	• Restrictive immigration policy • Increased requirements and procedures for receiving state drivers licenses
2006, George W. Bush (R)	Secure Fence Act	• Restrictive immigration policy • Increased border surveillance by building a fence along the Mexican border
2010, Barack Obama (D)	Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act	• Inclusive immigration policy • Protects certain immigrants who came to the US as children; provided certain immigrants a pathway to US citizenship • Increased eligibility for public health benefits and assistance
2012, Barack Obama (D)	Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)	• Both restrictive and inclusive policy • Allows certain immigrants who came to the US as children to receive a two-year period of deferred action from deportation that is renewable; eligibility for a work permit in the US • No pathway to citizenship and unauthorized parents can still be deported • Increased public insurance uptake and eligibility for insurance coverage and improved health outcomes (Giuntella & Lonsky, 2018)
2014, Barack Obama (D)	Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and DACA Program Expanded	• Both restrictive and inclusive policy • Allowed deferred action for deportation to certain immigrants who have lived in the US since 2010 and have children who are US citizens or lawful permanent residents

Note. “D” = Democratic Party, “R” = Republican Party.