Both Arabs and South Asians have lived in the United States since the early twentieth century, but anti-Asian exclusionary immigration policies banned South Asians from entering the United States at various points in time. For example, as a result of rampant anti-Chinese sentiments, the Immigration Act of 1917 prevented anyone from Asia from migrating to the United States, including South Asian Indians. This policy created an “Asiatic Barred Zone” that prevented Asians, South Asians, and Southeast Asians from migrating to the United States.

XREF: Connects to broader US anti-Asian exclusion history, including the earlier Chinese Exclusion Act and later restrictions like the 1924 Johnson-Reed Act.

Saher Selod, Forever Suspect_ Racialized…, loc. 91