Immigration: Debating the Issues

Nothing more precious is at stake than how we view ourselves as a nation.

A white-hot flash point has ignited intense arguments over immigration. The source: an influx of illegal aliens crossing U.S. borders; entering major cities; and, in the minds of many, wreaking havoc with depleted resources, job availability, social services, education, and law enforcement. The fear is so strong that politicians have actually suggested building barriers on our borders, denying social services to illegal aliens, and denying citizenship to infants and children. Should we be true to our heritage and welcome all who enter? Should we secure our borders? Who should enter? How many? Is unfettered immigration an avenue to social diversity, or a dark road to civil disaster?

Immigration: Debating the Issues addresses these and many other important questions with selections from: Vernon M. Biggs, Jr., George J. Borjas, Leon Bouvier, Peter Brimlow, Linda Chavez, Marion Moncure Duncan, Pete Hamill, John F. Kennedy, Doris Meissner, Stephen Moore, Nadia Nedzel, Richard John Neuhaus, Christine Rossell, Arthur Schlesinger, and Peter Schuck.

Nicholas Capaldi, Ph.D. (Tulsa, OK) is McFarlin Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tulsa. He is the author of The Art of Deception: An Introduction to Critical Thinking.