Reviews

"Today's immigration debate receives some much-needed historical perspective in this new book by LeMay, long regarded as a leading authority on US immigration policy....LeMay frames the ebb and flow of immigration policy--leaning variably toward accommodation versus restriction--into five chronological periods: The Open-Door Cycle, 1820-1880; The Door-Ajar Cycle, 1880-1920; The Pet-Door Cycle, 1920-1960; The Dutch-Door Cycle, 1960-1990; and The Storm-Door Cycle, 1990-?. In this last section and in an especially strong concluding chapter, LeMay emphasizes the key role national security has always played in immigration policy making, a conjunction more apparent and influential in post-9/11 US society. The author is generally careful to avoid taking political sides on the polarizing immigration question, noting simply that history teaches the certainty that new coalitions--and new cycles--will continually form and reform depending on society's prevailing broader concerns. An excellent bibliography follows the narrative. Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries."—Choice, November 1, 2007

"LeMay offers the first history of American immigration policy written in the post-9/11 environment to focus specifically on the role of national security considerations in determining that policy. Following an overview of U.S. immigration policy, the various waves in the composition of immigration to the U.S., and five distinct cycles or phases in immigration policy, each of the five subsequent chapters explores in greater detail the five cycles: the Open-Door Era, the Door-Ajar Era, the Pet-Door Era, the Dutch-Door Era, and the Storm-Door Era. The text concludes with a critique of recent laws and proposals, and likely developments in the future."—Reference & Research Book News, February 1, 2007