Excerpt
Introduction: Why Immigration Is So Complicated
Every country has a story about where its people came from, and America’s story is deeply rooted in movement. From the very beginning, the idea of people leaving one home to build another has shaped what the United States is. But it hasn’t always been welcoming, and it definitely hasn’t been simple.
The first thing to understand is that people have been arriving on this land long before it was called the United States. Indigenous nations lived across the continent for thousands of years. Then, in the 1600s, colonists from Europe started arriving, mostly from England, Spain, and France. These early settlers weren’t called “immigrants” back then, but they were moving across an ocean to build new lives, sometimes peacefully, sometimes by force. And that was just the start of waves of people coming from somewhere else.
In the 1800s, immigration picked up in a big way. Picture ships packed with people from Ireland escaping famine, Germans fleeing political unrest, and Chinese laborers arriving to work on the railroads. The country’s population exploded, and cities like New York and San Francisco became crowded gateways to new lives. For many, this was a chance at freedom, jobs, and the hope of something better. But not everyone was excited about all this change.
That’s when the idea of “who gets to come in” really started to take shape. In 1882, the U.S. passed the Chinese Exclusion Act—the first law to ban immigration based on nationality. This wasn’t just about borders. It was about fear. Some Americans thought new immigrants would take jobs, change the culture too much, or be “too different.” It wasn’t just the Chinese who faced this attitude. Over the years, Italians, Jews, Japanese, Mexicans, and others were all treated as outsiders at one point or another.
The early 1900s brought even more immigrants, especially from Europe. Ellis Island became famous as the place where over 12 million people were processed. Families came with trunks, papers, and hope. But at the same time, new restrictions were being created. Laws limited how many people could come from certain countries, especially those outside of Western Europe. Immigration became less about who wanted to come, and more about who was allowed.
During World War II, something shifted. Refugees fleeing violence and persecution needed safety, but the U.S. wasn’t always quick to open its doors. Some were turned away—even children—because of strict quotas and fear of spies or outsiders. It was a painful reminder that laws aren’t always guided by kindness or fairness. Still, after the war, the idea of helping refugees became more important to U.S. policy, even though it remained inconsistent.
Then came 1965. This was a huge turning point. A new law ended the old quota system based on nationality and replaced it with a focus on family reunification and job skills. That opened the door to immigrants from Asia, Africa, and Latin America in ways that hadn’t been possible before. The country’s population began to change again—not just in numbers, but in the languages spoken, foods cooked, and traditions celebrated.
By the 1980s and 1990s, immigration debates were heating up again. The U.S. passed laws to grant legal status to some undocumented immigrants and crack down on illegal crossings at the same time. There were arguments about fairness, safety, and what it meant to be American. The country was growing more diverse, but also more divided over how to handle immigration.
After 9/11, national security became a top priority, and immigration policy started to shift again. New barriers were built, screening processes became tougher, and the conversation around immigration grew more emotional. Fear of terrorism shaped how people talked about borders—even if those fears didn’t always match the facts.
Today, immigration is one of the most debated issues in the U.S. People ask questions like: How many people should be allowed in each year? Should there be a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants? What do we do about the border? Who should be allowed to claim asylum? And what does it mean to be a “real American”?
There isn’t one simple answer, and there never has been. The history of immigration in the U.S. is full of contradictions. On one hand, the country celebrates being a nation of immigrants. On the other, it’s passed laws to keep people out. Some presidents have expanded immigration access, while others have tried to reduce it. Sometimes the public supports welcoming more people. Other times, it doesn’t.
Every country has a story about where its people came from, and America’s story is deeply rooted in movement. From the very beginning, the idea of people leaving one home to build another has shaped what the United States is. But it hasn’t always been welcoming, and it definitely hasn’t been simple.
The first thing to understand is that people have been arriving on this land long before it was called the United States. Indigenous nations lived across the continent for thousands of years. Then, in the 1600s, colonists from Europe started arriving, mostly from England, Spain, and France. These early settlers weren’t called “immigrants” back then, but they were moving across an ocean to build new lives, sometimes peacefully, sometimes by force. And that was just the start of waves of people coming from somewhere else.
In the 1800s, immigration picked up in a big way. Picture ships packed with people from Ireland escaping famine, Germans fleeing political unrest, and Chinese laborers arriving to work on the railroads. The country’s population exploded, and cities like New York and San Francisco became crowded gateways to new lives. For many, this was a chance at freedom, jobs, and the hope of something better. But not everyone was excited about all this change.
That’s when the idea of “who gets to come in” really started to take shape. In 1882, the U.S. passed the Chinese Exclusion Act—the first law to ban immigration based on nationality. This wasn’t just about borders. It was about fear. Some Americans thought new immigrants would take jobs, change the culture too much, or be “too different.” It wasn’t just the Chinese who faced this attitude. Over the years, Italians, Jews, Japanese, Mexicans, and others were all treated as outsiders at one point or another.
The early 1900s brought even more immigrants, especially from Europe. Ellis Island became famous as the place where over 12 million people were processed. Families came with trunks, papers, and hope. But at the same time, new restrictions were being created. Laws limited how many people could come from certain countries, especially those outside of Western Europe. Immigration became less about who wanted to come, and more about who was allowed.
During World War II, something shifted. Refugees fleeing violence and persecution needed safety, but the U.S. wasn’t always quick to open its doors. Some were turned away—even children—because of strict quotas and fear of spies or outsiders. It was a painful reminder that laws aren’t always guided by kindness or fairness. Still, after the war, the idea of helping refugees became more important to U.S. policy, even though it remained inconsistent.
Then came 1965. This was a huge turning point. A new law ended the old quota system based on nationality and replaced it with a focus on family reunification and job skills. That opened the door to immigrants from Asia, Africa, and Latin America in ways that hadn’t been possible before. The country’s population began to change again—not just in numbers, but in the languages spoken, foods cooked, and traditions celebrated.
By the 1980s and 1990s, immigration debates were heating up again. The U.S. passed laws to grant legal status to some undocumented immigrants and crack down on illegal crossings at the same time. There were arguments about fairness, safety, and what it meant to be American. The country was growing more diverse, but also more divided over how to handle immigration.
After 9/11, national security became a top priority, and immigration policy started to shift again. New barriers were built, screening processes became tougher, and the conversation around immigration grew more emotional. Fear of terrorism shaped how people talked about borders—even if those fears didn’t always match the facts.
Today, immigration is one of the most debated issues in the U.S. People ask questions like: How many people should be allowed in each year? Should there be a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants? What do we do about the border? Who should be allowed to claim asylum? And what does it mean to be a “real American”?
There isn’t one simple answer, and there never has been. The history of immigration in the U.S. is full of contradictions. On one hand, the country celebrates being a nation of immigrants. On the other, it’s passed laws to keep people out. Some presidents have expanded immigration access, while others have tried to reduce it. Sometimes the public supports welcoming more people. Other times, it doesn’t.