Immigration is the movement of people from one country to another where they are not native. Since the beginning of history, men and women have been crossing political borders to better their economic condition, reunite with their families, and escape the dangers they faced in their country of origin. In the late 1990s, an estimated 130 million people, or about 2% of the world's population, were living outside the country in which they were born. About 10% of these immigrants were refugees forced from their homes by war, persecution, or natural disaster. Immigration has played an important role in the settlement and development of the United States and, indeed, of the whole New World. Its defenders argue that not only does immigration enhance the freedom ...