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Document Type

Symposium

Publication Date

Fall 1994

Publication Citation

2 Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies 5 (1994)

Abstract

Through the use of their own empirical studies, the authors

address three themes: 1) immigration in the global context; 2) the

scale and characteristics of immigration to the United States; and

3) the. expected future impact of immigration to the United States.

The authors focus on U.S. immigration by giving an empirical

comparative history which suggests that, while the sheer number of

immigrants to the United States has grown, the share of foreignborn

people in the U.S. population is well below historic highs.

Next they discuss the characteristics of recent and current

immigrants to the United States in terms of magnitude, diversity,

and conventional notions of "quality" (education and income), as

well as the differing types of U.S. immigration policy immigrants

may face. Finally, the authors consider the future of immigration

to the United States and suggest that legal immigration will

continue to have predominantly positive impacts, while negative

impacts will continue to flow from illegal immigration. They note,

however, that there are powerful principles and restraints that limit

efforts to curb illegal immigration. The authors conclude that the

situation is not dire; rather, they believe that the ties created by

immigrants may become increasingly important to the United States

in an interrelated world economy.

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