The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 restricted Immigration fromChina. It was enacted under President Chester A. Arthur. The use ofChinese labor for the California Gold Rush and the TranscontinentalRailroad prompted an influx from 1848 to 1870, depressing unskilledlabor wages, especially in California. The national act followedseveral restrictive laws in California and other western states,and general animosity toward Asians.The act was renewed in 1892, made permanent in 1902, and notrepealed until 1943.