Forging an American Immigration Policy for the 21st Century
We need to be careful to not let this debate be defined by its extremes or by the theater that it naturally generates.
Setup
Many Americans hold dear our identity as a “nation of immigrants” and the “land of opportunity.” But our immigration processes are convoluted, backlogged, and choked with would-be Americans desperate for a better life — while roughly 70 percent of US voters are opposed to increasing legal immigration levels. How should we decide who can come? Could our system be more responsive to a changing economy and set new immigrants up for long-term success? What are the social and economic costs? Do we still aspire to be a “nation of immigrants” and the “land of opportunity” — and if so, what do we want the phrases to mean in our collective future?
Explore More
USA
Katie Keith is director of the Health Policy and the Law Initiative at Georgetown University Law Center, where she is adjunct professor of law. Keith’s analysis focuses on way...
The highest court often seems distanced from our day-to-day lives, but the rulings that come out of the Supreme Court are woven into the fabric of the nation. Though it aims t...
We're proud to announce the 2022 winners of The Aspen Challenge, four amazing teams of young people designing solutions to some of the most critical problems facing their comm...
From blockchain to back to school and virus-hunting to bridging divides, speakers at the 2021 Aspen Ideas Festival addressed issues in a new kind of world—one touched, and cha...
Following the terror attacks on 9/11, attorney Kenneth Feinberg battled against cynicism, bureaucracy and politics to deliver monetary relief to victims’ families. He's featur...
