status. Over 1.5 million refugees have sought political asylum in the United States since 1959 (p. 270). Undocumented, or illegal, aliens are those who have either entered the States by violating one of its borders, or those who have overstayed the time limits on their visas. Illegal immigration generates the most controversy and opposition from native-born Americans, particularly in "gateway" states such as California, Texas, and Florida.
Immigration did not become a serious area of public controversy until after World War II when the United States was hit by two major waves of Third World migration. The first postwar wave occurred between 1942 and 1964. It involved Mexican agricultural workers responding to the demands of American growers for cheap labor sources. The United States government responded by tightening restrictions on immigration from the Western Hemisphere. The second migration wave consisted not only of Mexicans, but also illegal aliens from the Middle East and the Caribbean. Reimers (1985) blames these waves of immigration on United States foreign policy. Although members of Congress debated on ways to address the illegal immigrant problem, no consensus was reached on effective remedies. Also, Congress failed to acknowledge the extent of the problem by refusing to allocate additional funds to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Short of staff and overworked, the INS soon found it impossible to keep track of undocumented aliens.
Political lobbying also played an important role in the postwar increase in illegal immigration. Activist groups supporting immigrants rights made their influence felt in Washington. These groups sought to ease restrictions and prevent discrimination against immigrants. Adding to this political climate was the growing racial tolerance in the United States. Minority groups started to question what they considered inequitable restrictions on Third World immigra...