ABSTRACT
The fraught issue of immigration raises fundamental questions about what it means to be American. Being a nation of immigrants is part of the national mythology, yet, Americans remain ambivalent about immigrants and immigration policy. Drawing on public opinion and historical analysis, Jack Citrin and Matthew Wright delineate the political conundrum: Americans are generally well disposed toward immigration and its economic benefits but fear loss of national culture and identity. Their work reveals the historical continuities on the immigration issue since the Founding and recurrent anxieties among Americans about whether immigrants will assimilate. Their analysis illustrates clearly how public opinion, which tends to favor more restrictive immigration policies, differs with the views of many elites, who prefer an open policy, which they refer to as “liberal cosmopolitan.” The chapter helps put in perspective recent efforts by some states to pass laws to keep illegal immigrants out and the seemingly confused response of the federal government to deal with the issue of illegal immigration. It also addresses issues of political power and party politics as the share of the electorate with origins from Latin America and Asia grows.
