The first is that the United States is a nation of immigrants; the second, that as a consequence we should welcome those who wish to enter our country legally. These are not new ideas. They have been advanced by men and women from both parties for more than two centuries. The first Congress passed an immigration law in 1790. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln suspended the Civil War draft by issuing a proclamation that declared: “It is the duty of all loyal, well-disposed citizens to welcome to our shores those who desire to become partakers of the blessings of American life.”
Kaynak: Popular Science
