Department
Political Science and International Affairs
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2011
Abstract
The United States has always been a nation of immigrants, and immigration policy has always been controversial. The history of immigration in the United States is contrasted in this article with a normative standard of naturalization (immigration policy) based on the Declaration of Independence. The current immigration debate fits within a historical pattern that pits an unrestricted right of immigration (the left) against exclusive, provincial politics (the right). Both sides are simultaneously correct and incorrect. A moderate policy on immigration is possible if the debate in the United States gets an infusion of what Thomas Paine called "common sense."
Journal Title
Norteamérica
Journal ISSN
1870-3550
Volume
6
Issue
2011
First Page
211
Last Page
228
Included in
Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, Immigration Law Commons, Political Science Commons