America lost almost 60,000 soldiers in the Vietnam war, these were brave men and women from around the country and around the world. Nobody knows for sure, but one study from Cal State Los Angeles found that Latinos made up roughly 20% of all soldiers killed in the war, twice the ratio of U.S. residents that were Latino. As Commander-in-Chief, President Lyndon B. Johnson learned that no matter what country of origin a soldier was from, they all shed the same red blood. These Latino soldiers along with soldiers from the Continents of Africa and Asia demonstrated to Johnson that the American spirit fighting to preserve our liberties had no preference to the country of origin a man immigrated from. In 1965, President Johnson shared this lesson with Congress, urging them to reform our immigration policies, and abolish the quota based system based upon national origin.
In that same year, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act abolishing the quota system that had been the immigration policy in the United States since the 1920s. At the signing of the bill, Johnson spoke, "Our history this year we see in Viet-Nam. Men there are dying--men named Fernandez and Zajac and Zelinko and Mariano and McCormick. Neither the enemy who killed them nor the people whose independence they have fought to save ever asked them where they or their parents came from. They were all Americans. It was for free men and for America that they gave their all, they gave their lives and selves."
Johnson wrestled with the fact that while many of the soldiers in Vietnam were immigrants from all over the world, under our current immigration policies, "only 3 countries were allowed to supply 70 percent of all the immigrants". American immigration policies were denying entry to immigrants because of their country of origin such as eastern Europe or a developing continent such as Africa and Asia. In Johnson's words, this "violated the basic principle of American democracy--the principle that values and rewards each man on the basis of his merit as a man." He called the current policy un-American, and with his signature in 1965, he abolished it. American immigration policy would no longer "shadow the gate to the American Nation with the twin barriers of prejudice and privilege."
Johnson introduced the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 in a special message to Congress on January 13, 1965, urging Congress to take action that was long overdue. Johnson emphasized that the principal immigration reform proposed by the bill would eliminate the "national origins quota system". According to Johnson, the first preference would be given to those who have the "kind of skills or attainments which make the admission especially advantageous to our society". A secondary goal was to "promote the reuniting of families", by allowing parents of US Citizens to obtain admission without waiting for a quota number. Johnson outlined some additional goals of the bill which included a preference for lesser skilled workers to fill needs in short supply, and eliminate the requirement for a "skilled" immigrant to find and employer before coming to the United States. Congress responded, and on October 3rd, 1965 at Liberty Island, President Johnson had the pleasure of signing the Hart-Celler Act, named after it's co-sponsors Senator Phillip Hart of Michigan and Representative Emanuel Celler of New York. Johnson considered the bill to be one of the most important acts of the 89th U.S. Congress and his administration. During the signing, Johnson provided a very simple description of the bill, calling it a simple and first test for those who wish to come to America.
"This bill says simply that from this day forth those wishing to immigrate to America shall be admitted on the basis of their skills and their close relationship to those already here.
This is a simple test, and it is a fair test. Those who can contribute most to this country--to its growth, to its strength, to its spirit--will be the first that are admitted to this land."
Johnson understood that this was a signal change in our immigration laws. Yet, while Johnson spoke out against the prejudices of pre-1965 immigration laws, he also spoke of the need to cherish the American spirit. That spirit in 1965 was the same spirit asked of the settlers who first came to America. "Were they sturdy enough to make the journey, were they strong enough to clear the land, were they enduring enough to make a home for freedom, and were they brave enough to die for liberty if it became necessary to do so?" President Johnson also talked of immigration reform as part of his National Agenda to Congress and the Nation in his 1965 State of the Union address. Part II of his agenda was entitled "Opportunity for All". By all, he included not just citizens of the United State, but also those who wish to seek the "promise of America".
"II. OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL
Second, we must open opportunity to all our people.
Most Americans enjoy a good life. But far too many are still trapped in poverty and idleness and fear.
Let a just nation throw open to them the city of promise:
--to the elderly, by providing hospital care under social security and by raising benefit payments to those struggling to maintain the dignity of their later years;
--to the poor and the unfortunate, through doubling the war against poverty this year;
--to Negro Americans, through enforcement of the civil rights law and elimination of barriers to the right to vote;
--to those in other lands that are seeking the promise of America, through an immigration law based on the work a man can do and not where he was born or how he spells his name."
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=26907
https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/05/25/the-invisible-force-latinos-at-war-in-vietnam/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_and_Nationality_Act_of_1965
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=26830
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=27292
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Immigration_Bill_Signing_-_A1421-33a_-_10-03-1965.jpg
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