This chapter explores the motivations behind a major immigration law and the resulting consequences, including a surge of immigration and its impact on American workers. It also discusses the political implications and the shift of the Democratic Party towards viewing immigration as a human rights issue.
Supporters of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act pledged it wouldn’t radically change immigration. David Leonhardt, author of Ours Was the Shining Future, explains how it instead led to what might be the largest wave of immigration in human history.
This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by David Herman, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
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