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    President Trump's Idea Of Good And Bad Immigrant Countries Has A Historical Precedent

    In part, Trump's recent vulgar slur appeared to be favoring the revival of a discriminatory immigration policy abolished by the U.S. Congress more than 50 years ago.
    by Tom Gjelten Jan 13, 2018 5 minutes
    Immigrants arrive at Ellis Island in Upper New York Bay around 1900. In 1924, the U.S. would restrict immigration based on national origin. Forty years after that, it eliminated those restrictions.

    In a White House meeting with members of Congress this week, President Trump is said to have suggested that the United States accepts too many immigrants from "shithole countries" in Africa and too few from countries like Norway.

    Those comments, relayed to NPR by people in attendance at the meeting, set off an immediate firestorm, in part because Trump appeared to be favoring the revival of a discriminatory immigration policy abolished by the U.S. Congress more than 50 years ago.

    From 1924 to 1965, the United States allocated immigrant visas on the basis of a candidate's national origin. People coming from Northern and Western European countries were heavily favored over those from countries like those Trump now derides. More than 50,000 immigrant visas were reserved for Germany each year. The United Kingdom had the next biggest share, with about 34,000.

    Ireland, with 28,000 slots, and Norway, with 6,400, had

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