According to the article “Early Immigration Policies- USCIS,” policies in the 18th and 19th centuries were “Americans encouraged relatively free and open immigration,” implying that the United States was more friendly until the late 1800s. Where things started to change in the late 1800s. After the Civil War, certain states started passing their immigration laws. In 1875, the Supreme Court determined that immigration regulation was a government obligation. This marked an important change in the way the United States dealt with immigration. They were given more freedom and possibilities during the time. Later, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, as well as other immigration regulations that limited particular laborers and placed taxes on immigrants entering the United States, were enacted. These regulations were designed to limit immigration and exclude specific categories of people.
https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/our-history/explore-agency-history/overview-of-agency-history/early-american-immigration-policies
