What's behind our arguments about immigration?
When we talk about the immigration rate, we're really talking about our most fundamental fears and beliefs.
Each year the United States admits a little over 1 million immigrants. Is that too many? President Trump and some members of Congress say it is, and some polls suggest that almost half of Americans agree. So besides wanting to crack down on illegal immigration, President Trump is calling for reducing legal immigration by cutting back on family reunifications, so-called chain migration. He claims that under the current system “a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives.”
The notion of “virtually unlimited” migration is largely a specter of Trump’s making. Family members are not automatically allowed to join a relative in the United States. The system gives preference to spouses and minor children but limits how many married children and siblings are allowed to immigrate. That’s why there’s a backlog of applications; the wait in some cases is up to 20 years.
Nevertheless, a fundamental question remains: Is the current immigration rate too high? If so, what would be the optimal number? Half a million a year? Zero? And what’s the basis for that judgment?
