Introduction: The historical context of immigration
The changing waves of immigration
The matrix of push and pull
The ebb and flow of immigration
Immigrants in the early twentieth century
1. The Legacy of Restriction.
The retreat to restrictionism
The origins of immigration policy
Restrictions on Asian admissions
The creation of an omnibus restrictive policy
Transition to an omnibus selective policy
The decline of return migration
Toward unified and restricted naturalization
The system of discriminatory naturalization
The centralized administration of naturalization
The continuing influx after restriction
Exodus from Canada and Mexico
The airplane migration from Puerto Rico
The rise of the refugee class
Continuation of the demographic shift
2. The Transformation Policy.
The path to worldwide immigration policy
The McCarran-Walter Act
The Hart-Cellar Act
The Immigration Reform and Control Act
The expansion of refugee legislation
The liberalization of naturalization policy
The globalization of immigration
Push and pull factors in the postindustrial era
3. The Changing Face of Post-1965 Immigration.
An imbalanced worldwide immigration
The new Asian immigrants
The new Latin American immigrants
The West Indian and Haitian immigrants
The declining factor of European immigration
Seeding the new frontier of immigrant colonies
4. The Making of a World Melting Pot.
Patterns of social mobility
The structure of economic opportunity
The ethnic dimensions of economic progress
Asian patterns of mobility
Hispanic patterns of mobility
West Indian and Haitian patterns of mobility
The changing face of mobility and inequality
Educational gains
Linguistic assimilation
Family and population
Fertility and immigration
Intermarriage
Transitions in identity and community
The societal impact of changing immigration.

5. The Immigrant and American Democracy.
The path to American citizenship
The changing distance between aliens and citizens
Naturalization of aliens
Learning American national identity
The expanding role of government in ethnic relations
Toward equal opportunity for new Americans
The rise of official group identity
6. Immigration and the National Future.