[immigration]

Immigration facts:

January 1, 1892:
The Ellis Island Immigration Station in New York formally opened.

January 4, 1904:
The Supreme Court ruled that Puerto Ricans were not aliens and could enter the United States freely; however, the court stopped short of declaring them U.S. citizens.

December 18, 1944:
In a pair of rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the wartime relocation of Japanese-Americans, but also said undeniably loyal Americans of Japanese ancestry could not continue to be detained.

April 20, 1980:
The first Cubans sailing to the United States as part of the massive Mariel boatlift reached Florida.

January 7th, 2004:
President George W. Bush proposed legal status, at least temporarily, for illegal immigrants working in the U.S.