ABSTRACT
American immigration policy has drastically changed in structure and scope since the 1790s. One constant has been its use in keeping out misperceived threats. Since immigration policy can be used as a mechanism of national security, it is important to examine the relationship between immigration control and national security broadly, as ‘national security’ encompasses not only defense, but the economy, crime control, and social identity. In this vein of thinking, this chapter (and book) will examine immigration policy as a response to threats or perceived threats to ‘national security’, and how varying modes of migration control are often used as national security mechanisms during times of international insecurity or war as well as a tool of empire-building. This chapter focuses on these phenomena as they evolved from the founding of the nation to WWII, focusing on how immigrants became linked to terrorism, crime, and drugs.
