History and Challenges of U.S. Immigration Policymaking

Abstract

This article reviews the history of immigration policy in the U.S. and discusses different domestic measures that benefited the country’s economy.  It examines the current controversy created by the presence of large number of illegal immigrants. It provides a brief overview of the development of U.S. immigration policy, pointing out events that led to a change in the said policies and to the restrictive measures adopted.  It addresses the question of how the borders can be controlled and looks at previously implemented strategies and their outcomes as well as their sometimes unforeseen consequences.   The article furthermore addresses the question of what effects immigration has on the U.S. and who profits from it. Finally, in this article, the battle over immigration policy in congress is discussed. The point made is that the reason for the slow progress in immigration policy is the lack of consensus in congress for a coherent immigration policy.