Check It Out

From immigrants to Americans : the rise and fall of fitting in
by Jacob L. Vigdor
New Book Shelf JV6450 .V54 2009

With the quadrupling of the immigrant population of the U.S. since the 1970s, with fears of Americans losing jobs, there has been much debate and study about changes in traditional ideas about the immigrant experience and the impact on American society. Jacob Vigdor's new book offers a detailed analysis of immigration to the U.S. from 1850 to 2007.

Although the modern American immigrant compares favorably to those of prior generations—more English speaking and higher skills—there is still a major division between those who come seeking assimilation and those who come seeking work, the latter more likely to be undocumented. The author analyzes the economic and political factors that have encouraged immigration and how immigration policies have influenced decisions by immigrants to assimilate or not. This is a fascinating look at immigration as Americans continue to ponder the relative merits of the melting pot versus the salad bowl.
Reviewed by Vernon Ford, Booklist 2/15/2010.

Check out From immigrants to Americans : the rise and fall of fitting in by Jacob Vigdor, available now in the library on the New Book Shelf JV6450 .V54 2009.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Immigration Debate by Alan Greenblatt, February 1, 2008


Can politicians find a way to curb illegal immigration?

The number of illegal immigrants in the country has topped 12 million, making immigration once again a central topic of debate.


Enacting tougher enforcement policies has become a dominant theme in the 2008 presidential campaign, particularly on the Republican side. Just in the past year, states and localities have passed hundreds of bills to crack down on employers and illegal immigrants seeking public benefits. But Congress has been unable to act, despite a bipartisan deal brokered last year by the Bush administration.

Should employers be penalized for hiring illegal immigrants?

Can guest worker programs be fixed?

Should illegal immigrants be allowed to attend public colleges and universities?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage http://www.swccd.edu/~library/articles.htm and click on CQ Researcher. Select the Access Off-Campus link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.