Making Americans, remaking America

Immigration policy has defined the United States as few other nations on earth. The central political dilemma is how we define who we should admit as a resident and who may become a citizen. These investigations lead us to the questions of how many immigrants we should admit, what traits these immigrants should have, and what standards we should set for naturalization. The nation must also determine what the rights and privileges of noncitizens should be.The authors present a historical overview of U.S. immigration, followed by an examination of these questions and the legislative and legal debates waged over immigration and settlement policies today. The authors also discuss the relationship between minorities and immigrants. They find that the public policy needs of immigrants are often confused with those of U.S.-born minorities. The book closes with the question: If the nation understood the kinds of demands that immigrants legitimately make, would we change the contract between the state and the immigrant?

Louis DeSipio is assistant professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of Counting on the Latino Vote: Latinos as a New Electorate as well as the author and editor of a five-volume series on Latino political values, attitudes, and behaviors published by WestviewPress. Rodolfo O. de la Garza is Mike Hogg Professor of Community Affairs and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin. He also serves as vice president and director of research at the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including most recently Ethnic Ironies: Latino Politics in the 1992 Elections (WestviewPress 1996) and Bridging the Border: Transforming Mexico-U.S. Relations. Louis DeSipio is assistant professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of Counting on the Latino Vote: Latinos as a New Electorate as well as the author and editor of a five-volume series on Latino political values, attitudes, and behaviors published by WestviewPress. Rodolfo O. de la Garza is Mike Hogg Professor of Community Affairs and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin. He also serves as vice president and director of research at the Tom225s Rivera Policy Institute. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including most recently Ethnic Ironies: Latino Politics in the 1992 Elections (WestviewPress 1996) and Bridging the Border: Transforming Mexico-U.S. Relations.