Aliens Act 1905
Encyclopedia
The Aliens Act 1905 was an Act
of the Parliament
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
. The Act for the first time introduced immigration controls and registration, and gave the Home Secretary
overall responsibility for immigration and nationality matters. The Act was designed to prevent paupers or criminals from entering the country and set up a mechanism to deport those who slipped through. It provided asylum for people fleeing religious or political persecution. Anti-Semitic elements wanted a stop or place severe restrictions on Jewish immigration to Britain, but were completely defeated. The 1905 Act did not meet any of the demands of restrictionists who wanted numerical restrictions on immigration. Liberals generally opposed restrictions, which were favoured by trade unions.
.jpg)
In the 19th century, Tsarist Russia was home to about five million Jews, at the time, the "largest Jewish community in the world". Subjected to religious persecution, they were obliged to live in the Pale of Settlement
, on the Polish-Russian borders, in conditions of great poverty. About half left, mostly for the United States
, but many - about 150,000 - arrived in Britain. This reached its peak in the late 1890s, with "tens of thousands of Jews ... mostly poor, semi-skilled and unskilled" settling in the East End of London
.
By the turn of the century, a popular and media backlash had begun. The British Brothers League
was formed, with the support of local notables, organising marches and petitions. At rallies, its speakers said that Britain should not become "the dumping ground for the scum of Europe". In 1905, an editorial in the Manchester Evening Chronicle wrote "that the dirty, destitute, diseased, verminous and criminal foreigner who dumps himself on our soil and rates simultaneously, shall be forbidden to land".
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
. The Act for the first time introduced immigration controls and registration, and gave the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
overall responsibility for immigration and nationality matters. The Act was designed to prevent paupers or criminals from entering the country and set up a mechanism to deport those who slipped through. It provided asylum for people fleeing religious or political persecution. Anti-Semitic elements wanted a stop or place severe restrictions on Jewish immigration to Britain, but were completely defeated. The 1905 Act did not meet any of the demands of restrictionists who wanted numerical restrictions on immigration. Liberals generally opposed restrictions, which were favoured by trade unions.
Demands for restriction
Pale of Settlement
The Pale of Settlement was the term given to a region of Imperial Russia, in which permanent residency by Jews was allowed, and beyond which Jewish permanent residency was generally prohibited...
, on the Polish-Russian borders, in conditions of great poverty. About half left, mostly for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but many - about 150,000 - arrived in Britain. This reached its peak in the late 1890s, with "tens of thousands of Jews ... mostly poor, semi-skilled and unskilled" settling in the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
.
By the turn of the century, a popular and media backlash had begun. The British Brothers League
British Brothers League
The British Brothers' League was a British anti-immigration group that attempted to organise along paramilitary lines.The group was formed in 1902 in east London as a response to waves of immigration from Eastern Europe that had begun in 1880 and had seen an influx of eastern Europeans into the area...
was formed, with the support of local notables, organising marches and petitions. At rallies, its speakers said that Britain should not become "the dumping ground for the scum of Europe". In 1905, an editorial in the Manchester Evening Chronicle wrote "that the dirty, destitute, diseased, verminous and criminal foreigner who dumps himself on our soil and rates simultaneously, shall be forbidden to land".
Further reading
- Feldman, David. "Was the Nineteenth Century a Golden Age for Immigrants?" in Andreas Fahrmeir et al., eds. Migration Control in the North Atlantic World: The Evolution of State Practices in Europe and the United States from the French Revolution to the Inter-War Period (2003), pp 167–77 shows the actual impact of the 1905 law was small and largely bureaucratic.
- Garrard, John A. The English and Immigration, 1880-1910 (1971)
- Gartner, Lloyd A. The Jewish Immigrant in England 1870-1914, London (1960): Simon Publications. ISBN ) 908620 00 6
- Pellew, Jill. "The Home Office and the Aliens Act, 1905," The Historical Journal, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Jun., 1989), pp. 369–385 in JSTOR
External links
- Channel 4 Immigration by David Rosenberg
- Moving Here: British Immigration law repository
- UK Immigration ServiceUK Immigration ServiceThe United Kingdom Immigration Service, , was the operational arm of the Home Office, Immigration and Nationality Directorate...