关键词: 美国移民政策; 非法移民; 效果; 因素

Abstract: As is known to us all, the United States is a nation of immigrants. It has been plagued by considerable increase in the size of the illegal population since the 1980s. Illegal immigration issue has been one of the major concerns of the government, the academia and the populace. Based on the latest statistics available and case study, the paper is designed to make an analysis of the efficacy as well as the legislation passed by and measures taken by the U.S. federal government to curb the illegal immigration flow. Then it is pointed out that the illegal immigration issue is more than a political one, and it involves economic, racial and diplomatic factors as well. Constrained by these contributing factors, the U.S. federal government has created loopholes in the illegal immigration policy and has been lax about enforcing the laws. Consequently, while the level of new illegal immigration is lower than a decade ago and the pace of illegal immigration has slowed significantly, the enormous ongoing scale of illegal immigration is a clear indication that the United States has not come close to controlling it. It is safe to say that the illegal immigration issue is and will be a thorny issue for the U.S. government.

Keywords: US immigration policy; illegal immigration; efficacy; contributing factors