When it first captured the national imagination, the word “immigrant” used to conjure up dreamy images of pilgrims braving the uncharted waters of the Atlantic Ocean, or throngs of foreigners crowded onto a ship’s deck, craning to get their first look at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, the very symbols of the hope, wonder and vision of the American Dream. But in the latter part of the 20th century, as more diverse populations began settling in this so-called “land of opportunity,” the word began taking on a decidedly more negative, less dreamy connotation.
