Unwelcome Strangers

An examination of all sides of the immigration argument in the USA. The text investigates the history of American attitudes toward immigration and offers a perspective on the crisis in the late 1990s. The core of the book covers the heated arguments of the anti-immigration forces, from environmental groups that warn against the consequences of overpopulation, to economic and cultural concerns. The author sees potential solutions in English language instruction for newcomers, greater accountability of sponsors, and government intervention to counterbalance the negative economic impact some immigrants have on poor communities. He also outlines the many bureaucratic and practical challenges faced by the INS, from determining who gets political asylum to screening applicants for criminal records. The text charts the history of U.S. immigration policy and public reaction to newcomers, from the Puritan colonists to World War II refugees. He shows how immigrant groups have historically been targeted - whether for ethnic, racial or religious reasons. This history of prejudice throws light on later developments in immigration history, such as the public response to the Cuban refugee crisis, the growing proportion of Third World immigrants, and the relationship between legal and illegal immigration, right up to the battles over California's proposition 187 - which proposed to restrict public assistance for aliens and their children - and major congressional legislation passed in 1996 to deal with immigration.