Best Immigration

Douglas S. Massey is an American sociologist whose research examines international migration, residential segregation, urban poverty, and social inequality. With Nancy A. Denton, he wrote American Apartheid, published in 1993, which analyzed how persistent racial segregation concentrated disadvantag...

Saskia Sassen is a Dutch-born American sociologist known for research on globalization, migration, inequality, and the organization of economic power across borders. Her 1991 book The Global City examined New York, London, and Tokyo as strategic command points within the world economy and helped est...

Alejandro Portes is a Cuban American sociologist whose research examines immigration, social capital, economic sociology, and transnational communities. With Min Zhou, he developed segmented assimilation theory to explain why children of immigrants in the United States may follow different paths of...

The House on Mango Street is a 1984 novel written by Mexican-American author Sandra Cisneros. Structured as a series of interconnected vignettes, the narrative follows a young Chicana girl named Esperanza Cordero as she matures in a Hispanic neighborhood in Chicago. The book addresses complex themes...

William Isaac Thomas was an American sociologist whose work examined migration, social behavior, and the ways people interpret their circumstances. With Florian Znaniecki, he wrote The Polish Peasant in Europe and America, a major study based partly on personal documents such as letters and life his...

Brooklyn depicts the experiences of Eilis Lacey, an Irish woman who immigrates to Brooklyn in the early 1950s seeking work. The film chronicles her transition and subsequent conflict between her established life in America and her familial ties back in Enniscorthy. Eilis ultimately faces a difficult...

Produced by the American Civil Liberties Union, this informational guide informs non-citizens of their legal rights during encounters with immigration enforcement officers.

Brother, I'm Dying is a 2007 memoir by Haitian American writer Edwidge Danticat. It interweaves the lives of her father, Mira, who raised a family in the United States, and her uncle Joseph, who cared for Danticat in Haiti before later seeking refuge in America. The book examines migration, politica...

Mission US: City of Immigrants is a 2015 WNET history game following Russian Jewish teenager Lena Brodsky through labor and immigrant life in 1907 New York.

Rubén G. Rumbaut is a sociologist known for research on immigration, refugee communities, generational change, and the children of immigrants in the United States. He co-developed segmented assimilation theory, which describes multiple possible paths of incorporation rather than treating assimilatio...

The Undocumented Americans is a 2020 book by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio that combines memoir, reportage, and literary nonfiction. Drawing partly on her own experience as an undocumented immigrant, the author reports on undocumented communities in locations including New York, Miami, Flint, Clevelan...

Breath, Eyes, Memory is a 1994 novel by Haitian-American author Edwidge Danticat that centers on the immigrant experience and the lasting impact of generational trauma. The narrative follows Sophie Caco, who relocates from her childhood home in rural Haiti to New York City to live with her estranged...

Nancy Foner is an American sociologist whose research focuses on immigration, race, ethnicity, and urban life, particularly in New York City. Her comparative work places contemporary immigration alongside earlier migration periods to show how labor markets, racial classifications, public policy, and...

Mary C. Waters is an American sociologist whose research focuses on immigration, ethnicity, racial identity, and immigrant integration in the United States. Her book Black Identities examines how West Indian immigrants and their children in New York negotiate ethnic identification and American racia...

An American Tail is a 1986 animated musical film directed by Don Bluth and produced with Steven Spielberg's involvement. It follows Fievel Mousekewitz, a young mouse separated from his Jewish immigrant family while they travel from Russia to the United States. Through its animal characters, the film...

David Ley is a British-born Canadian human geographer whose research examines cities, migration, housing, and social change. He is particularly associated with studies of gentrification in Canadian cities and with work on immigration, transnational wealth, and Vancouver's housing market. His scholar...

The Immigrant is a 2013 drama set in New York City during 1921, depicting a Polish immigrant’s arrival seeking opportunity after World War I. James Gray directed the film, which faced distribution challenges due to disagreements over its ending with Harvey Weinstein. It premiered at Cannes and recei...

The Namesake is a 2006 drama film directed by Mira Nair, adapted from Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel. Filmed across India (Kolkata, Agra) and the United States (New York), the story follows characters with complex familial ties. The production involved studios in India, America, and Japan, and garnered posit...

"Little America" is an anthology television series created by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon that premiered on the Apple TV+ streaming platform in 2020. The show is based on true stories originally published in Epic Magazine, with each standalone half-hour episode focusing on a different immigr...

Letters from Rifka is Karen Hesse's 1992 children's historical novel about a Jewish family's 1919 flight from Russia, based on Hesse's great-aunt.

“America America” is a 1963 biographical drama directed by Elia Kazan. The film recounts the true story of Avraam Elia Kazantzoglou, Kazan’s uncle, and his family's struggles to immigrate to the United States in the 1960s. It explores themes of immigration, adaptation, and familial bonds within a bl...

A beautiful and grounded story about a Korean-American family who moves to rural Arkansas to start a farm. It explores the challenges of the American Dream, cultural identity, and the sacrifices made for family. The film is praised for its authentic performances and intimate storytelling. It is perf...

The Italian is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by Reginald Barker and produced by Thomas H. Ince. The film portrays the experiences of an Italian immigrant who comes to America seeking a better life but faces poverty, discrimination, and corruption in New York's Lower East Side. Starring...

Roger Waldinger is an American sociologist whose research focuses on international migration, immigrant incorporation, ethnic economies, and labor markets. He examines how immigrants obtain work and build social ties in receiving societies while maintaining relationships with people and institutions...

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a leading civil rights organization known for its meticulous tracking of hate groups and its aggressive legal strategies. They focus on combating hate, poverty, and discrimination through litigation, advocacy, and education. Their 'Hate on the Rise' reports are w...

Pachinko is a sweeping, multigenerational saga that explores the experiences of a Korean family living in Japan during the 20th century. The series is beautifully shot, with powerful performances and a deeply moving story. It tackles themes of identity, resilience, and the enduring impact of histori...

A Better Life is a 2011 drama focusing on an undocumented immigrant and his son’s efforts to recover a stolen vehicle in Los Angeles. The film centers around the challenges faced by an individual and his family within the city's landscape. It was directed by Chris Weitz and written by Eric Eason, ba...

Helga Leitner is a geographer whose research spans urban geography, political geography, migration, citizenship, and social movements. Her scholarship has examined how immigrants and their advocates contest exclusion, how urban policies are shaped by neoliberal forms of governance, and how political...

Immigration Nation is a 2010 iCivics game in which players guide newcomers toward U.S. citizenship by applying immigration rules to individual cases.