Congress also banned persons because of poor health or lack of education . An 1882 law banned entry of " lunatics " and infectious disease carriers . After President William McKinley was assassinated by an anarchist of immigrant parentage , Congress enacted the Anarchist Exclusion Act in 1901 to exclude known anarchist agitators . A literacy requirement was added in the Immigration Act of 1917
assassinated
Assassination of William McKinley
History of laws concerning immigration and naturalization in the United States