Immigration, Naturalization and the Constitution

Nothing is more important to the existence of a human community than the definition of its membership. Who is permitted to enter the community's territory and who is kept out? Who is entitled to the rights and benefits of membership and who is excluded? What are the differences in this respect between citizens and aliens? The answers to these questions are of vital importance in the making of nation-states since they shaped cultural as well as political character. For the United States, the country par excellence of immigration, these issues have been particularly salient. To be or to become an American has often been a matter of choice. Choice on the part of both the immigrant and the host society.