Beyond the Smith Act, Congress built an administrative machine against the Party. The McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950 — passed over Truman's veto — required "Communist-action" organizations to register, created the Subversive Activities Control Board, barred members from passports and defense jobs, and authorized detention camps for emergencies; the Communist Control Act of 1954 purported to outlaw the Party outright. The immigration arm swept up foreign-born radicals for deportation under the McCarran and McCarran–Walter Acts: Harisiades v. Shaughnessy (1952) upheld deportation for past membership, while detainees fought years-long battles from Ellis Island and Terminal Island.
The Party litigated the registration order for fifteen years, and in Albertson v. SACB (1965) the Supreme Court held that forced registration violated the privilege against self-incrimination — a final, belated collapse of the scheme, by which time the damage was long done.