2015 Event France and the U.K. agree to share responsibility for taking in immigrants fleeing Syria and other conflict-ridden nations; France agrees to accept 24,000 people over the next two years, and the U.K. will accept 20,000 2015 Event A federal U.S. judge orders a halt to an executive order issued by President Barack Obama that allows approximately 5 million illegal immigrants to remain in the country; Obama expects to overcome this hurdle to implement the order as planned 2014 Event Texas and 16 other U.S. states are suing the Obama administration regarding an executive order that will postpone deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants; the states claim the order is illegal 2014 Event U.S. President Barack Obama announces plans to delay deportation of about 4 million undocumented immigrants who have lived in the country for at least 5 years and have children who are legal residents or U.S. citizens 2014 Event Switzerland votes to put a quota on the number of immigrants to the country from the European Union; 50.4% of voters approved of the measure 2013 Event Pope Francis condemns the 'global indifference' to the plight of immigrants who have drowned trying to reach Europe; he honors them in a mass held on Lampedusa, the largest island of the Italian Pelagie Islands in the Mediterranean Sea 2013 Event 'Hareetz', Israel's oldest daily newspaper, publishes a story in which Israel admits it has administered birth-control injections to Ethiopian Jewish immigrants, without fully educating recipients of its effects 2012 Event President Barack Obama states that the U.S. will stop deporting some illegal immigrants 2012 Event Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells his cabinet that Israel's identity is threatened by hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from Africa 2011 Event Poland announces it will provide amnesty to illegal immigrants beginning January 1, 2012 2009 Event A Sri Lankan migrant ship seized off of Canada's Pacific Coast, carried 76 suspected Sri Lankan immigrants 1985 Event Largest swearing-in ceremony, 38,648 immigrants become U.S. citizens 1966 Birthday Salma Hayek, born in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, actress, Mexican national, most prominent Mexican figure in Hollywood, fights discrimination against immigrants 1947 Event Ship carrying Jewish immigrants driven away from Palestine 1947 Event British seize "Exodus 1947" ship of Jewish immigrants to Palestine 1947 Event 1st Jewish immigrants to Israel disembark at Port of Eilat 1946 Event Britain transfers illegal immigrants bound to Palestine, to Cyprus 1945 Event Jewish immigrants are permitted to leave Mauritius for Palestine 1940 Event Illeagal Jewish immigrants to Haifa are deported to Mauritius 1940 Event Patria, carrying illegal immigrants, sinks in port of Haifa, 200 die 1907 Event Ellis Island, New York - 11,745 immigrants arrive 1892 Event Ellis Island becomes reception center for new immigrants 1878 Event 1st Portuguese immigrants arrive in Hawaii 1855 Event Castle Clinton in New York City opens as 1st U.S. receiving station for immigrants 1743 Event Philadelphia establishes a "pesthouse" to quarantine immigrants 1637 Event Peter Minuit and 1st Swedish immigrants to Delaware sail from Sweden
