Immigration Lessons for the U.S. from Around the World
Date: June 10, 2012
CNN
June 10, 2012
Immigrants founded America hundreds of years ago, coming to the promised land in search of freedom and opportunity, in pursuit of the American dream.
Today, many Americans see immigrants as a danger to that dream.
They worry that immigrants are taking their jobs, using government services and changing the country’s national identity. The average American believes that 39% of the U.S. population was born abroad. The real figure is 13%, still the highest level since 1920.
Immigration is divisive, a wedge issue in this election year. But most Americans (73%) agree that the government is doing a poor job of managing it.
So, how should the U.S. handle immigration? Does anyone else do it better? What can the U.S. learn from successes – and possible mistakes – from other countries?