The American-born son of Bangladeshi immigrants, an editor at National Review and The Atlantic, Salam has written a book that is simultaneously a personal reflection, an accessible summary of current research and a nuanced policy discussion. It is also an implicit reprimand, suggesting that when it comes to debating immigration, we’ve been doing it very, very wrong ... No doubt, Melting Pot or Civil War? will leave many immigration restrictionists unconvinced that enforcement would ever be adequately 'resolute.' Some progressives will accuse Salam of underplaying the racial animus driving poverty among immigrants. Others will note that low-skilled immigration is already on the wane. Still, this bracing book could be a conversation-changer — if only the outraged on both sides would let it.
Salam, the son of Bangladeshi immigrants who is now the executive editor of the National Review, delivers a nuanced case for closing the border to all but a certain desired class of newcomers and restructuring immigration policy in order to stave off ever increasing Balkanization ... An intelligent and reasoned take on what has become a third-rail issue.
National Review executive editor Reihan Salam is optimistic that a solution to the United States’ immigration crisis can be found, though it will require compromise and a rethinking of the role of immigrants in American society ... Currently, he argues, too little is done to lift immigrants out of poverty, which perpetuates a lack of upward mobility and solidifies racial and economic divides between citizens and immigrants ... This well-researched analysis adds relevant possibilities to the immigration debate in the U.S.
