580. The True Story of America’s Supremely Messed-Up Immigration System

Freakonomics Radio

How did a nation of immigrants come to hate immigration? We start at the beginning, sort through the evidence, and explain why your grandfather was lying about Ellis Island. (Part one of a three-part series.)

• SOURCES:
  • Leah Boustan, professor of economics at Princeton University.
  • Zeke Hernandez, professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Roger Nam, professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University.

• RESOURCES:
  • The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers, by Zeke Hernandez (2024, available for pre-order).
  • "The Refugee Advantage: English-Language Attainment in the Early Twentieth Century," by Ran Abramitzky, Leah Platt Boustan, Peter Catron, Dylan Connor, and Rob Voigt (NBER Working Paper, 2023).
  • Streets of Gold: America's Untold Story of Immigrant Success, by Leah Boustan and Ran Abramitzky (2022).
  • "If Liberals Won't Enforce Borders, Fascists Will," by David Frum (The Atlantic, 2019).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Is Migration a Basic Human Right?" by Freakonomics Radio (2015).
  • "Who Are the Most Successful Immigrants in the World?" by Freakonomics Radio (2013).