Open AccessPolicies of Inclusion
Author(s) -
Amy L. Fairchild
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.94.4.528
Subject(s) - immigration , inclusion (mineral) , immigration policy , politics , political science , theme (computing) , population , public policy , economic growth , demographic economics , development economics , sociology , demography , gender studies , law , economics , computer science , operating system
The racial politics of immigration have punctuated national discussions about immigration at different periods in US history, particularly when concerns about losing an American way of life or American population have coincided with concerns about infectious diseases. Nevertheless, the main theme running through American immigration policy is one of inclusion. The United States has historically been a nation reliant on immigrant labor and, accordingly, the most consequential public policies regarding immigration have responded to disease and its economic burdens by seeking to control the behavior of immigrants within our borders rather than excluding immigrants at our borders.