ABSTRACT
When blacks were introduced into the British colonies that would later become the United States, to contemporary times, when the nation finds itself in the throes of the largest and longest period of mass immigration in its history, immigration policy has significantly influenced the geographical, occupational, and industrial employment patterns of black Americans. Given the prominent role that immigration has played in the history of the nation, it is surprising that the subject is not mentioned anywhere in the US Constitution. The issue of slave trading also became involved in the founding of the nation. In the early 1960s, the major domestic issue was not immigration reform. It was civil rights policy. The politics associated with the "rainbow coalition" have led most black politicians to remain silent on the chronic need for comprehensive immigration reform in hope of gaining support for pet programs and of receiving influential appointments.
