Immigration in the United States
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Abstract
This entry explores migration as a family affair that propels people to cross borders to ensure their relatives' well-being. Through this process, migrants collectively contribute to a shifting social landscape in their new place of settlement. By locating a few key axes of stratification, the entry explores how these intersect with dynamics in immigrant families to produce a wide diversity of experiences. Whether or not they do so consciously or intentionally, immigrant families must negotiate macrostructural factors – including gender norms and expectations, labor market opportunities, the economy, immigration laws, political climate, and the availability of social services – that powerfully shape their lives and settlement trajectories in the host society. Moreover, factors such as class, ethnicity, race, and age, among others, also inform how immigrant families are treated and what paths for integration into society are available to them. Examining family formations among immigrants often sharpens the presence, absence, or interactions between these factors, providing fruitful ground to rethink or refine more general concepts and perspectives. Keywords: family; gender; immigrants; immigration; law; policies; race; social class