On this day, December 17, in 1943

The Magnuson Act, also known as the Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act, was approved in the United States. This law permitted the legal immigration of Chinese people into the US for the first time in 60 years, although it still limited Chinese immigrants to only 105 persons per year. The Act also allowed Chinese people who already resided in America to become naturalized citizens, marking the first time in over 150 years that any Asian group was allowed to be naturalized. The Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act was passed during WWII, and was very strategic in developing and maintaining a wartime alliance with China. Even then, the quota for Chinese immigrants was low compared to European countries and it remained that way for the next 20 years.