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Immigration is integral to the American national identity. Before they became “Americans,”
the nation’s first citizens were English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Dutch, or German.
Notwithstanding recurring waves of anti-immigrant sentiment, and intense controversy
over policies aimed at managing the flow of immigrants, the United States largely prides
itself on being a “nation of immigrants.” Most Americans consider the diverse population
and pool of talent attracted by the country’s unique freedoms and opportunities to be
crucial to its economic, political, and cultural achievements. Vital to the country’s ongoing
allure as a destination for immigrants from every part of the world is its policy of
assimilation, which contrasts with the approach taken by most European democracies and
many other countries.

Immigration is a political issue that often stokes powerful emotions. All Americans regularly
experience the effects of immigration policy as it influences the labor market, the cost of
consumer goods, the ethnic composition of neighborhoods and school districts, popular
culture, and national security efforts. Pundits and politicians routinely exploit the presence
of immigrants in America, particularly during times of economic, political, or military
uncertainty.

Indeed, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States have drawn
increased attention to the relationship between immigration and national security, and
terrorism concerns have driven many of the changes in immigration and especially visa
policy over the last six years. These changes are often seen to disproportionately affect the
freedoms enjoyed by residents from predominantly Muslim countries, most of whom are in
the United States legally. Also at play, however, is the dilemma presented by the roughly
12 million immigrants currently living in the country illegally—a figure that has quadrupled
over the past two decades. Most of these men and women seek to integrate themselves
and their families into American society through hard work and education, as earlier waves
of immigrants, legal and illegal, have done. In addition to simmering concern about the
cultural implications of their assimilation, the ubiquity and status of millions of
undocumented workers and their families presents a bracing rebuke to Americans’ desire
to establish a secure homeland in a period of anxiety about terrorist threats and
heightened appreciation for the rule of law. The presence of these workers ranks as the
single most important factor behind an increasingly contentious immigration debate

In June 2007, a bipartisan congressional initiative to modernize decades-old immigration
laws, backed by President George W. Bush and key cabinet members, collapsed in the face
of a determined opposition that, while including liberals and Democrats, was animated
largely by conservative Republicans. “The American people understand the status quo is
unacceptable when it comes to our immigration laws,” said President Bush after a critical
procedural vote killed the proposal in the Senate. “A lot of us worked hard to see if we
couldn’t find a common ground—it didn’t work.”1
Other immigration controversies at present include the matter of whether the United States
will provide a haven to refugees from Iraq, in particular those whose families have been
endangered by their service to the American armed forces or civilian organizations.
Between October 2006 and August 2007, only 719 Iraqi refugees were admitted to the
United States—an embarrassing abdication of national responsibility for men and women
who have allied themselves with the American effort in Iraq.2 In addition to the ever-

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