The Struggle for Fairness: Forging the Immigration Act of 1965

Underpinning this book is a confluence of three streams driving immigration legislation in the 20th century: a belief in the racial superiority of certain nationalities and peoples (race), an ambition among certain regions and ideological groups to retain political control (power), and a deep-seated preference to select people by class, connections, or personal attributes (ideology of deserving). The paradigm serves as a lens for a deeper analysis and new understanding of the legislation. The book concludes by analyzing the paradigm today and offering three lessons from the 1965 Act.