Immigration
Immigration is the arrival of new individuals into a habitat or population. It is a biological concept and is important in population ecology, The modern concept of immigration is related to the development of nation-states and nationality law and/or citizenship law. Citizenship in a nation-state confers an inalienable right of residence in that state, but residency of non-citizens is subject to conditions set by immigration law. The emergence of modern nation-states made immigration a political issue: by imagining its populations, in violation of multi-ethnic, multi-'racial', multi-cultural realities 'on the ground', as homogenous blocks, constituting a nation defined by shared, single ethnicity, 'race' and/or culture. Legal and political restrictions on the presence of foreigners is a highly controversial political theme because such restrictions are introduced and maintained by states whose citizens have had a major, sustained and deeply consequential presence in states other than their own. Legal immigrants are people who obtain legal status marked, at a minimum, by some form of residence permit that regulates the terms of their employment. Some, but by no means all, foreign workers and expatriates seek and reach citizenship in the state where they work. Legal immigrants are different from the undocumented labor force in that the latter does not have legal status in the country in which he or she works.
Immigrants in the United States:
Immigration by the Numbers:
(Approximate viewing time is 14 minutes)
This is the celebrated demonstration that Roy Beck has been giving to scores of audiences across the nation, as well as on many TV programs, including C-SPAN. Using colorful, eye-catching props, he entertains and shocks audiences with the population consequences of current U.S. immigration policies. Thousands of people across the country are finding that there is no easier way to communicate their concerns about immigration to friends, relatives and fellow citizens than by showing them Roy's video. This video has already been viewed by over 6 million people online.