The number of legal immigrants allowed into the United States in the 1960s was 300,000 a year. This increased reasonably to 600,000 by the 1980s. But in the 1990s, the rate accelerated to an average of more than a million a year. When the number of illegal immigrants is added to this, the total inflow during the 1990s was approximately twelve million.
Crowded Land of Liberty examines how this influx has developed into a crisis of overcrowded schools, soaring demand for social services, new burdens on taxpayers, increased urban congestion, and heightened job competition. It explains how recent waves of immigration differ from those of earlier eras and suggests new public policy alternatives.