Analyzes the historical realities behind the myth of America as a haven for refugees and the poor. The author argues that current proposals to control immigration (amnesty, guest workers, border control, repatriation, worker identification) are inadequate in the face of uncontrolled world population growth. (AM)

Immigration legislation in the United States is aimed primarily at Mexican migrants, who account for over half of all undocumented immigrants in the United States. Citizens of Central American and Caribbean countries contribute another 20%. The first section of this booklet traces the development of United States immigration legislation from the…

Proposed United States immigration reforms are founded on the assumption that illegal immigration can be significantly curbed by reducing economic incentives to migrate. Effects of these reforms, however, are not the same for all undocumented workers. Data from 61 rural Mexican households in Michoacan were used to explore which undocumented…