Is it time for America -- a country founded and forged by immigrants -- to shut its doors? After decades of liberal policies that welcomed ever greater numbers of immigrants, America is seeing a surge in anti-immigration sentiment. Congressional debates, polls, incidents of violence, and the growing strength of anti-immigration groups all indicate a growing nativism. In "Unwelcome Strangers, " David M. Reimers enters into the emotionally charged immigration debate, looking at all sides of the argument. Who are the nativists, and are any of their views legitimate? This balanced investigation traces the history of American attitudes toward immigration and offers a new perspective on the current crisis.

The core of this book uncovers the heated arguments of the anti-immigration forces, from environmental groups that warn against the consequences of overpopulation, to economic concerns that immigrants take jobs away from Americans, to assimilationist fears that newcomers -- especially from Latin America, and Asia -- threaten American culture. Reimers questions these arguments while acknowledging that pro-immigration forces hurt their position by not considering whether the United States can actually absorb one million immigrants a year. Reimers 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. Reimers outlines the many bureaucratic and practical challenges faced by the INS, from determining who gets political asylum to screening applicants for criminal records.

Reimers charts the history of U.S. immigration policy and public reaction to newcomers, from the Puritan colonists to World War II refugees. The rise of nativism that began in the 1880s culminated with the highly restrictive immigration policies of the 1920s. Reimers shows how immigrant groups have historically been targeted -- whether for ethnic, racial, or religious reasons. Quakers, Catholics, and Jews were the focus of anti-immigrant sentiment as were Germans, Irish, Italians, and Asians. 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.

This work updates an established American textbook on immigration and ethnic history, demonstrating the post-war shift from European to Third World immigrants. Extensive revisions include a discussion of undocumented immigration and the Simpson-Rodino Bill. All the important events of the last five years, especially the 1990 Immigration Act, are presented. The author examines the changes in refugee status and highlights the new wave of East European and Soviet immigrants to the USA.

"Who is an American?" "How does a person who is not an American become one?" Now in its sixth edition, Natives and Strangers: A History of Ethnic Americans addresses these and many other vital questions. Comprehensive and accessible, this unique volume explores various aspects of American minority group history. Examining the impact that America has had on minority peoples and cultures--and vice versa--authors Leonard Dinnerstein, Roger L. Nichols, and David M. Reimers provide insights into the different conditions, conflicts, and contradictions that members of American minority groups experienced. They integrate the experiences of various racial, religious, and national minorities from around the globe--including American Indians, African Americans, and immigrants from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and other parts of the world--explaining how their histories intertwined with the emergence of modern America. The authors conclude with reflections on where the nation stands today as an ethnically and racially diverse society.

Far East, Down South: Asians in the American South offers a collection of ten insightful essays that illuminate the little-known history and increasing presence of Asian immigrants in the American southeast. In sharp contrast to the "melting pot" reputation of the United States, the American South-with its history of slavery, Jim Crow, and the civil rights movement-has been perceived in stark and simplistic demographic terms. In Far East, Down South, editors Raymond A. Mohl, John E. Van Sant, and Chizuru Saeki provide a collection of essential essays that restores and explores an overlooked part of the South's story-that of Asian immigration to the region. These essays form a comprehensive overview of key episodes and issues in the history of Asian immigrants to the South. During Reconstruction, southern entrepreneurs experimented with the replacement of slave labor with Chinese workers. As in the West, Chinese laborers played a role in the development of railroads. Japanese farmers also played a more widespread role than is usually believed. Filipino sailors recruited by the US Navy in the early decades of the twentieth century often settled with their families in the vicinity of naval ports such as Corpus Christi, Biloxi, and Pensacola. Internment camps brought Japanese Americans to Arkansas. Marriages between American servicemen and Japanese, Korean, Filipina, Vietnamese, and nationals in other theaters of war created many thousands of blended families in the South. In recent decades, the South is the destination of internal immigration as Asian Americans spread out from immigrant enclaves in West Coast and Northeast urban areas. Taken together, the book's essays document numerous fascinating themes: the historic presence of Asians in the South dating back to the mid-nineteenth century; the sources of numerous waves of contemporary Asian immigration to the South; and the steady spread of Asians out from the coastal port cities. Far East, Down South adds a vital new dimension to popular understanding of southern history.

The World Comes to America provides an overview of the groups of immigrants who arrived in the United States after World War II ended in 1945. Authors Leonard Dinnerstein and David M. Reimers examine the groups who came to America, explaining their reasons for immigrating, noting where they settled, and discussing how they fared once they arrived. The authors cover conflicting American attitudes towards welcoming strangers and the different policies that Congress pursued to aid--or to delay--the entry of foreigners to America.
Features
* Offers comprehensive coverage of post-war immigration to the U.S.
* Explores the interaction between political policies, cultural shifts, racism, and economic changes, and how they impact immigration flows
* Includes coverage of the most recent immigration patterns