<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Major amendments </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> USA PATRIOT Act </Td> </Tr> <P> The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (Pub. L. 82--414, 66 Stat. 163, enacted June 27, 1952), also known as the McCarran--Walter Act, codified under Title 8 of the United States Code (8 U.S.C. ch. 12), governs immigration to and citizenship in the United States . It has been in effect since June 27, 1952 . Before this Act, a variety of statutes governed immigration law but were not organized within one body of text . </P> <P> H.R. 5678 was named after its sponsors, Senator Pat McCarran (D - Nevada), and Congressman Francis Walter (D - Pennsylvania). </P>

When was the immigration and nationality act passed