Immigration and Immigrants in the Contemporary United States

Immigration policy has defined the United States as few other nations on earth. The central political dilemma is how we define who we should admit as a resident and who may become a citizen. These investigations lead us to the questions of how many immigrants we should admit, what traits these immigrants should have, and what standards we should set for naturalization. The nation must also determine what the rights and privileges of noncitizens should be.The authors present a historical overview of U.S. immigration, followed by an examination of these questions and the legislative and legal debates waged over immigration and settlement policies today. The authors also discuss the relationship between minorities and immigrants. They find that the public policy needs of immigrants are often confused with those of U.S.-born minorities. The book closes with the question: If the nation understood the kinds of demands that immigrants legitimately make, would we change the contract between the state and the immigrant?