United States

The United States is often regarded as the definitive “immigrant nation”. After more than two hundred years of significant inflows, immigration to the US is characterized by its diversity. Each year large numbers of people from different socio-economic, educational and ethnic backgrounds are drawn to the country.

Initially, the majority of people immigrating to the US were of European origin. Now the majority of newcomers are from Latin America. Successive waves of immigration from around the world have ensured that a wide range of origins are represented to some extent in today’s US. Immigration has generally resulted from family reunification and labour migration, with relatively low refugee flows.

Immigration is now both a symbol of the very essence of the US and a controversial political issue. Security has played an increasingly important role in the debate since the terrorist attacks of 11th September 2001, as has the controversy surrounding the unauthorized immigrant population. This profile will give an overview of longer-term developments in immigration to the US and then focus on some of the current issues.

At the outset, however, it is worthwhile to note that the US is far less divided on the fundamentals of the immigration debate than current events sometimes indicate. There is continued pride in the country’s history as a nation of immigrants, and an overwhelming majority of people favour political reform that combines tougher enforcement with earned legal status for those already in the US.