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Immigration to the U.S. is a hotly debated topic, and this volume offers an interdisciplinary overview of the complex immigration-related issues. The alphabetically arranged entries define key terms and concepts, provide historical background, and suggest future trends. Each ends with a bibliography of cited references and recommended readings. Most of the contributors are affiliated with academic institutions, and the articles are scholarly in nature.

Some 81 entries cover topics such as Assimilation, Border control, International accords, Legalization, Migrant education, National security, and Stereotypes. The alphabetical list of entries, the guide to related topics, the index, and see-also references facilitate use. The appendix includes a "Chronology of U.S. Immigration Legislation," starting with the 1790 Naturalization Act and ending with the different versions of immigration reform proposed in 2006. The annotated bibliography has four sections: "Books," "Organizations and Electronic Resources," "Other Notable Resources" (such as the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University), and "Films."

For comparative purposes, Encyclopedia of North American Immigration (Facts On File, 2005) covers immigration to Canada as well as the U.S., has a wider chronological scope, and includes visuals (numerous black-and-white photos, maps, graphs, and tables) that make it more appealing and useful to students. Immigration in America Today is recommended for academic and large public libraries and those serving policy makers concerned with immigration issues. Sally Jane
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Review

"Immigration to the U.S. is a hot topic, and this volume offers an interdisciplinary overview of the complex immigration-related issues that currently face our government and social agencies. The alphabetically arranged entries define key terms and concepts, provide historical background, and suggest future trends. Each ends with a bibliography of cited references and recommended readings….Immigration in America Today is recommended for academic and large public libraries and those serving policy makers concerned with immigration issues."

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Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

"E pluribus unum (one out of many) has been a civic motto of the US since the founding of the republic. As a nation comprising people from many different cultures, the US faces enormous challenges in regulating the process of becoming American. This new edited volume usefully addresses many elements of that complex process since the passage of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. The editors commissioned 52 contributors from a variety of disciplines to prepare 81 alphabetical entries on varied aspects of the immigration issue from Achievement to Women. The entries are interdisciplinary and reflect the entanglement of immigration with economics, health care, education, and foreign policy, among other issues. Special attention is given to concerns about immigration since September 11, 2001. Missing from the volume are entries on specific ethnic groups or nations of origin. The volume concludes with an annotated chronology of US immigration legislation, an annotated bibliography, and a detailed index…..Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through graduate students; general readers."

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Choice

"From adoption and gangs to crime, domestic work, legal issues and social conflicts, the encyclopedia Immigration in America Today is a top, recommended pick for any high school to college-level collection strong in social issues. Entries here do more than define: they offer often pages of detail and insights, conclude with bibliographic references for further reading and research, and provide background history essential to understanding the foundations of modern immigrant rights and debates. An excellent supplement for any collection seeking a definitive starting point on immigration history and issues."

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California Bookwatch

"Immigration in America Today would be a nice addition to public and academic reference collections."

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ARBA