“In many ways the U.S. immigration system is a relic of the past,” said Justin Gest, a professor at George Mason University who studies comparative immigration policy, referring to how public opinion has changed since 1965, when the family-based system was established. Although the United States has good estimates on its undocumented population, data from other countries are spotty and harder to come by. If the United States were to follow their lead, it would involve admitting millions more people. This is partly because of a desire to preserve their cultures, a goal echoed by some conservative groups in the United States. “There is a certain mindlessness to family immigration when you take into account eligibility and time,” said Demetrios G. Papademetriou, co-founder of the Migration Policy Institute, a research organization.

Source: New York Times February 16, 2018 17:27 UTC