THE GENDER DIMENSION OF U.S. IMMIGRATION POLICY

The United States is widely regarded as the premier country of immigration, with current levels of lawful immigration approaching historic peaks. The place of migrants in the national community figures to a surprising degree in public policy debates over crime, employment, social services and even campaign finance reform. Yet, in this swirl of discourse over migration it is often overlooked that lawful immigration to the United States has been predominantly female for much of the past half-century.