The government's restrictive criteria render legal paths of immigration available in only the most extreme cases. America traditionally had few immigration restrictions, but since the 1920s, the law has banned most aspiring immigrants.

Triangle E represents the part of the overall increase in income (D + E) not captured by the immigrants themselves; this is commonly called the “immigration surplus.” The immigration surplus represents the benefit that accrues to the native population from an inflow of new immigrants.

1900 to 1950s Immigration was limited by assigning each nationality a quota based on its representation in past U.S. census figures. This quota favored immigrants from Northwestern Europe in particular. Congress also created the U.S. Border Patrol within the Bureau of Immigration in 1924.

More Immigration = More Poverty Immigration increases poverty in two ways: a) by increasing labor market competition it lowers wages for native- born workers, forcing more of them into poverty; and b) the immigrants themselves are often poor. The U.S. is literally importing poverty.