Despite the often repeated proclamation that we are a nation of immigrants, immigration has been, and continues to be, a politically charged issue in the United States. As such, it inspires intense debate. The stated goal of Debates on U.S. Immigration is “to keep students, researchers, and other interested readers informed and up-to-date on the most contentious aspects of U.S. immigration policy” (xvii). While this is a respectable ambition, it is not within the capability of a printed, or electronic, publication that is written at a specific point in time and not updated regularly. Had the preface stated, however, that the aim of this work is to outline and illuminate these contentious debates, with all its complexities, in an even-handed way and clarify misperceptions often cited in public discourse on the issue, it would have been completely accurate because that is exactly what this volume does.

Divided into three sections, Debates on U.S. Immigration comprehensively covers the political, economic, labor, demographic, social, and cultural aspects of US immigration through President Barak Obama’s first term. Each chapter opens with a lead-in piece, followed by signed point and counterpoint articles written by experts and scholars in the field, and closing with a list of references and suggestions for further reading. At the end of the volume is an appendix containing a collection of documents that highlight “key moments in U.S. immigration history” (543) between 1924 and 2011 and that are meant to give a “brief overview of milestones in U.S. immigration policy over roughly the last century in U.S. history” (543) from a political perspective. While a sound idea in theory, it gives the impression of having been an afterthought in the compilation of a solid and thoughtful publication, which concludes with a thorough index.

Although both the Opposing Viewpoints (Greenhaven) and Current Controversies (Gale) series have editions that outline the immigration debate, they are more suitable for high school students and lower level undergraduates. The presentation in Debates on U.S. Immigration is appropriate for a higher-level researcher. This publication is recommended for academic and large public libraries as well as special libraries focusing on in public policy in general and immigration policy specifically.