logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Have communists been banned from immigrating to the US for decades?

By Christopher Hutton
YES

Laws that restrict communists from immigrating to the U.S. have existed since the mid-20th century.

Throughout the 1940s, immigration officials had broad leeway to deny visas to immigrants they suspected might engage in anti-American sedition. In 1950, the McCarran Internal Security Act made communists, fascists and totalitarians ineligible for naturalization. And in 1952, the Immigration and Nationality Act excluded all aliens voluntarily affiliated with the Communist Party and other totalitarian groups from immigrating to the U.S.—a prohibition that continues to this day.

According to U.S. immigration authorities, any applicant "meaningfully" and voluntarily involved with the Communist Party or other suspect group (had a membership card, paid dues, gave money, advocated ideals, etc.) is not admissible to the United States.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
FACT BRIEF BY
facebook
twitter
email
email