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32. Explain the Immigration Policy in the United States.

American immigration (emigration to the United States of America) refers to the movement of non-residents to the United States

Even though the foreign born have never composed more than 16% of the U.S. population since 1675, immigration has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of American history

, impact on upward social mobility, levels of criminality, nationalities, political loyalties, moral values, and work habits

As of 2006, the United States accepts more legal immigrants as permanent residents than any other country in the world

In 2006, the number of immigrants totaled 37.5 million. Recent immigration-related proposals have suggested enforcing existing laws with regard to illegal immigrants,

building a barrier along some or all of the 2,000-mile (3,200 km) U.S.-Mexico border, and creating a new guest worker program

Public attitudes about immigration in the U.S. have been heavily influenced by the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks

The number of Americans who told the Gallup poll they wanted immigration restricted increased 20 percentage points after the attacks.

Half of Americans say tighter controls on immigration would do "a great deal" to enhance U.S. national security, according to a Public Agenda survey. Public opinion surveys suggest that Americans see both the good and bad sides of immigration

A June 2006 NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found the public evenly divided on the fundamental question of whether immigration helps or hurts the country

with 44 percent saying it helps and 45 percent saying it hurts the U.S. Surveys show that the U.S. public has a far more positive outlook about legal immigration than illegal immigration.

Social effects: The more contact a native-born American has with immigrants, typically the more positive view of immigrants one has; After September 11,

many Middle Eastern immigrants and those perceived to be of Middle Eastern origins were targets of hate crimes;

Minority racism, on the other hand, is sometimes considered controversial because of theories of power in society

Racist thinking among and between minority groups does occur, examples of this are conflicts between blacks and Korean immigrants (

notably in the 1992 Los Angeles Riots) or between blacks and Hispanic immigrants;

Forty percent of Ph.D. scientists working in the United States were born abroad; Immigrant children have historically been greatly affected by cultural misunderstanding, language barriers, and feelings of isolation within the school atmosphere.