The immigration debate has been making headlines lately. Most of the attention has focused on illegal immigrants entering our country from Mexico, primarily Hispanics and Latinos. Uncontrolled immigration is harmful to the United States. This hurts the American worker and the American economy. Open borders pose a threat to national security because terrorists, smugglers and drug traffickers can also freely cross the border. These key facts cannot be ignored and outweigh claims that race and ethnicity are part of the debate. Immigration should be restricted and a better identification system would help stabilize the immigration problem. The United States operated an open-door policy to immigration from the countries beginning in 1921. During this period, between 1790 and 1920, the population increased by 102 million. This represents approximately one million new immigrants every year for 130 years. Most of these immigrants came from European countries. In 1921, Congress passed the Quota Act which capped at 360,000 new immigrants per year. Congress did this because the public was concerned about the number of new immigrants and how it would affect the country. This law also favored immigrants from England, Germany, France, and Scandinavia over those from Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe. In 1960, another policy change was adopted. This changed the composition and number of immigrants arriving in the United States. Congress passed the Citizenship Act of 1965. The law took effect in 1968 and set an annual immigration cap of 290,000 people. The Eastern Hemisphere could welcome 170,000 new immigrants and the Western Hemisphere could welcome 120,000 new immigrants, for a grand total of 290,000 immigrants. The new law...... middle of paper......pay the consequences. There are already laws governing the hiring of illegal workers and the government must enforce them consistently (Barbour 72). As you can see, immigration is a very complex topic with many different views and angles. We are a nation made up of immigrants. My paternal grandfather emigrated from Lebanon. My maternal great-grandfather emigrated from Lithuania. They came here in pursuit of the American dream. They were proud to follow the nation's rules and I'm so happy they came to this country. However, the world has changed since that time and become a much more dangerous place. Restricted and controlled immigration can only be good for the country's national security, for American workers and for the American economy. Belief in open borders is a nice idea but unrealistic in the dangerous world we live in today..