Walls and Welcome Mats: Immigration and the American Dream

Migration is a natural, human act–seeking food, shelter, and comfortable environments is essential for survival. With the existence of national borders, migration becomes immigration–an intensely political issue.

Immigration and the history of America are inextricably linked. Author Lars Krogstad Ortiz explores the history of immigration in the United States from before the country was born to government policies such as the Chinese Exclusion Act to the building of a wall along the US-Mexico border. He also examines the the backlash against immigration that so many immigrants have faced, and the optimism that leads people to seek a better future in a new land.