Immigration: the 250-year perspective

This is a comment about a new book which shows that our immigration story has not changed much in 250 years. You might think we would learn, but we don't. - - Donna Poisl

By Steven E. Levingston

A federal judge on Wednesday opened the latest chapter in the tale of Arizona’s controversial immigration law, ruling on several provisions in favor of opponents of the legislation. As the battle ensues, it seems a good time to look back at U.S. immigration and ask, What’s different now?

Peter Schrag, a visiting scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, explores the immigration debate throughout American history in his book “Not Fit for Our Society: Immigration and Nativism in America,” recently released by University of California Press.
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