Feature Articles

In moving from the first to the second generation, most groups in New York and Los Angeles have retained a fairly stable rate of self-employment, according to Steven J. Gold of Michigan State University, and Ivan Light and M. Francis Johnston of the University of California, Los Angeles.

In the 20th century, intermarriage across generations helped accelerate the integration of European immigrant groups. Gillian Stevens and associates at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign investigate intermarriage trends among second-generation Asians and Latinos.

The second generation in New York City largely comes from non-European ethnic origins. Philip Kasinitz, Mary C. Waters, John Mollenkopf, and Jennifer Holdaway look at how growing up in a “majority minority” city has affected their experiences in school and on the job, how they feel about their progress, and where they think they fit within American society.

Both of the leading presidential candidates said during the campaign that Mexico needed to create more and better jobs to stem migration - but their approaches to the problem differ. Susan Gzesh of the University of Chicago reports.

Leighton Ku of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explores the key issues and research concerning immigrants' access to private health insurance, public health insurance, and to health care in general.

Both first- and second-generation children's sense of obligation provides meaning in their lives as they attend school and adjust to American society. Andrew Fuligni of the University of California, Los Angeles explains.

Contrary to popular belief, the United States actively devised policies and laws that shaped the country's population from the colonial period onward. Aristide Zolberg of the New School University highlights the key historical moments in this article, based on his new book A Nation by Design.

A great deal has been said and written about both mass immigration and mass imprisonment, but carefully researched connections are rarely made between these two trends. Rubén G. Rumbaut and associates at the University of California, Irvine examine the role of ethnicity, nativity, and generation in relation to crime and imprisonment.

After watching the immigration reform debate intensify in the last few months, Thor Arne Aaas, Norway's Director General of the Department of Migration and a Visiting Fellow at MPI, characterizes the debate as "unfocused, unstructured, and very emotional." More on his views in this interview with Migration Information Source Editor Kirin Kalia.

The Catholic Church made headlines in March when of its U.S. cardinals spoke out against the House of Representatives' "enforcement only" bill. Donald Kerwin of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network explains the church's interest in immigration and its position on reforming immigration policy.

In 2004, Central American countries received US$ 7.8 billion in remittances through official channels. Are remittances hurting or helping the region? MPI’s Dovelyn Agunias investigates.

Since the 1980s, Mexico has become home to Guatemalan refugees and served as a transit country for Central Americans seeking to reach the United States. Manuel Ángel Castillo of El Colegio de México analyzes Mexico's policies toward its southern neighbors.