A Nation of Immigrants Celebrates Thankgiving: Looking Back on Immigration History And Our Ancestors’ Arrivals

There are a lot of reasons to celebrate this Thanksgiving–nearly four centuries after the nation’s first immigrants landed in Plymouth Rock, our country’s immigrant legacy is still vibrant and alive.  New American voters–naturalized immigrants and their U.S.-born children–turned out in record numbers this November and delivered a clear message: that our nation’s leaders must lead and stand strong by America’s principles of fairness, tolerance and the American Dream.   As the debate begins in the 111th Congress over immigration reform it is important to remember our immigrant history and the trials and tribulations that we have overcome as a nation.

• Opportunity and Exclusion: A Brief History of U.S. Immigration Policy:
  (IPC Report – November 25, 2008)  Read this report to learn about how the laws governing immigration have changed constantly–and often arbitrarily.
• De-Romanticizing Our Immigrant Past: Why Claiming “My Family Came Legally” Is Often a Myth: (IPC Fact Sheet - November 25, 2008) A fact sheet on how the definition of who came to the country “legally” and “illegally” has changed with the evolution of immigration laws. 
  

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