Immigration

Cari Lee Skogberg Eastman, PhD, is an independent scholar studying border and immigration issues.

How to Use This Book
Introduction
1 Who Are We? Demographics, Immigration History, and the Shaping of the United States
Q1. Is the current U.S. immigrant population the largest in the country's history, and are unauthorized immigrants the largest share of this population?
Q2. Are most immigrants in the United States from Mexico?
Q3. Has the United States always welcomed immigrants who arrive legally?
Q4. Given the well-known dangers of illegal border crossings, why don't unauthorized immigrants "stand in line" to enter legally?
Q5. Are Obama's executive actions on immigration responsible for the increase in unauthorized children and families living in the United States?
Q6. Given existing immigration trends, will Hispanics soon overtake whites to become the majority population in the United States?
2 Labor, Employment, and Economics of Immigration
Q7. Are immigrants taking the jobs of U.S. workers?
Q8. What impact does immigration have on the U.S. economy and economic growth?
Q9. Are immigrants primarily employed in the agricultural sector?
Q10. Do undocumented or "illegal" immigrants pay taxes?
Q11. Do immigrants receive more aid through government-funded programs than they pay in taxes?
3 Unauthorized Immigration, Refugees, and Asylees
Q12. Are most immigrants in the United States "illegal/unauthorized" immigrants?
Q13. How accurate are terms like "illegal alien" and "illegal immigrant" in describing people entering the United States without authorization?
Q14. Is illegal immigration into the United States getting worse?
Q15. Are most unauthorized immigrants in the United States from Mexico? And does the Mexican government maintain a policy of pushing the "worst" of its citizens into the United States?
Q16. How expensive and feasible would it be to deport all "illegal immigrants" living in the United States?
Q17. Are most people illegally crossing the border into the United States doing so in order to find work?
4 Assimilation, Education, and Social Programs
Q18. Do immigrants to the United States generally make an effort to assimilate and learn English?
Q19. Do immigrants comprise the least educated group of people living in the United States?
Q20. Do all immigrants come to the United States because they want to experience the "American Dream"?
5 Immigration and Crime/Public Safety
Q21. Are immigrants more likely to commit crimes than native-born U.S. citizens?
Q22. How do crime rates along the U.S.-Mexico border compare to the rest of the United States?
Q23. Are individuals who enter the United States illegally or those who enter legally but overstay their visas regarded by the U.S. justice system as criminals?
Q24. Have immigrants been found to be the source of recent disease outbreaks in the United States?
6 Immigration and Children
Q25. Is the unauthorized flow of children across the Mexico-U.S. border into the United States creating a crisis?
Q26. Are most unauthorized alien children (UACs) automatically sent back to their home countries under current U.S. immigration laws?
Q27. Can a child born in the United States to parents who are unauthorized then sponsor his or her parents for citizenship?
Q28. Is the United States the only country in the world with birthright citizenship?
Q29. Are "anchor babies" and birthright citizenship the primary motivations behind illegal immigration?
7 Immigration and the U.S.-Mexico Border
Q30. Has lax security at the U.S.-Mexico border resulted in a large influx of unauthorized immigrants into the United States in recent years?
Q31. Is a fence along the border the most effective way to address unauthorized immigration into the United States?
Q32. Is national security the primary issue of concern along the U.S.-Mexico border?
8 Policies and Politics of Immigration
Q33. Do politicians see the growth of immigrant populations (and especially immigrants of Hispanic descent) in the United States as a major influence on both present and future elections?
Q34. Are state authorities or federal authorities in charge of immigration law and its enforcement?
Q35. How do mainline religions and religious denominations in the United States feel about comprehensive immigration reform measures such as the "Gang of 8" legislation proposed in 2013?
Q36. Are congressional attitudes toward comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to legalization for unauthorized immigrants, divided along party lines?
Q37. Has immigration enforcement been neglected during the Obama administration?
Index
About the Author