Mass Immigration and the National Interest: Policy Directions for the New Century

Entering the twenty-first century, the United States finds its prevailing immigration policies in a state of chaos. A product of almost forty years of dubious political compromises, the nation's immigration policies presently consist of a hodge-podge of ineffective, counterproductive, and special interest provisions. It is not surprising that two national commissions have, respectively, found U.S. immigration policy to be "out of control" and "in need of significant redefinition of priorities." Immigration patterns are in direct conflict with emerging labor market trends. In a completely revised and updated edition using 2000 Census data, Vernon M. Briggs explains how these incongruities developed and what can be done to reform immigration polices in order that they might once more serve the national interest and promote national security. Book jacket.

Vernon M. Briggs, Jr. is professor of Labor Economics at the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University