9781422280171

A cross the world, the term foreigner often means someone to be feared and distrusted. In America, however, the notion of the “undesirable alien” is in a profound sense un- American; the United States has always been a nation of immigrants. Often oppressed by poverty or political tyranny in their homelands across the oceans, our ancestors came here with the intention to build a democracy. Indeed, people are the richest resource of America, and diversity is a great source of its strength—as it says on the penny, E Pluribus Unum, “from many, one.” In these dangerous times, however, such openness may also be a cause of vulnerability, an invitation to those who would exploit it for evil ends. Criminals, from small-time smugglers to large-scale narcotics traffick- ers and international terrorists, stand to gain the most through illegal entry to the United States. Those who stand to lose the most are, ironically, the most recent immigrants, commit- ted though they overwhelmingly are to their new homeland. Since September 11, 2001, and the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., distrust of immigrants has—for the most part unfairly, yet inevitably—grown. The great challenge of our time is to hold the line against our enemies while welcoming our friends and fostering the international trade that is the economic lifeblood of our country. This most difficult of tasks falls on the men and women of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the officers of the U.S. Border Patrol.

Words to Understand Immigration: Moving into a country to live there. Persecution: Harassment of people of a different origin or social situation. Pilgrimage: Journey to a special or holy place.

C ustoms and B order P rotection

9