Abstract

PIP: This paper provides an overview of the substantial increase in migration to the United States that has occurred over the past two decades. The author draws on research from a variety of disciplines in order to describe who these immigrants are and how they are faring. He covers both legal and illegal immigration and presents estimates of a total of 8 million immigrants (excluding Puerto Ricans) for the decade of the 1970s. Various characteristics of migrants are discussed, including family behavior, fertility, residential segregation, intermarriage, and social mobility.