"We are now . . . at the same point that things were at in 1912 with regard to the (earlier) wave of immigration," Higham said. "If Congress had acted early in the 20th Century it would have defused the pressure. But instead of getting a rational and equitable policy of regulation, what we finally got was a racist and demeaning policy."

Times researcher Julia Franco contributed to this article.

Monday: Immigration and Jobs.

About This Series

The Times today publishes the first in an occasional series, "The Great Divide: Immigration in the 1990s." As debate about immigration grows more heated, the series will examine the significant issues for California and the nation.

Waves of Newcomers

The tide of immigrants throughout American history has risen and fallen with world events. Most recently, global instability, including the end of the Cold War, has sent hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants to U.S. shores. Here is a look at the number of people who have gained legal immigration status through the years-both new arrivals and those already in the country who became legal residents.

Annual immigration to the United States, in millions

Irish potato famine

Economic panic of 1873

Economic panic of 1893

Record decade: 8.8 million immigrants

World War I starts

Quota Act of 1921

Depression

World War II

Quota system repealed

Vietnam war ends

Amnesty law

* Recent figures include about 3 million formerly illegal immigrants who received amnesty under 1986 federal law.

\o7 Source: U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service\f7

Population of the Foreign Born

The percentage of California residents who were born overseas has fluctuated dramatically since the turn of the century. The U.S. figures, meanwhile, declined but have been turning up since the 1970s.

Percent foreign born

California United States Los Angeles County 1900 22.6 1910 22.9 1920 20.9 13.2 1930 18.5 11.6 1940 13.2 8.8 1950 10.0 6.9 1960 8.5 5.4 9.1 1970 8.8 4.7 11.3 1980 15.1 6.2 22.3 1990 21.7 7.9 32.7

\o7 Sources: California Research Bureau, 1950-90 censuses\f7

Coming to America

California and the United States have a long and sometimes schizophrenic history of immigration politics.

1840s: Large-scale immigration to the U.S. begins, spurred by revolutions and upheavals in Europe, such as the potato famine in Ireland. Immigration is unrestricted.