Immigration reform is a hot topic in Congress these days, with legislation on the table that could overhaul the present system. The implications are huge, since the United States by sheer numbers is home to the lion’s share of the world’s immigrants. Not to mention, there’s a vast rift in public opinion on what to do about the estimated 11 million immigrants who live here illegally.

“Most of what’s being debated now is what was debated in this country 100 years ago,” says Thomas Boswell, chairman of the Department of Geography and Regional Studies and a recognized authority on immigration. “Immigration becomes controversial when the numbers suddenly increase, when there’s a noticeable illegal component, and when the places from where immigrants come change radically.”

Boswell, named “Ethnic Geographer of the Year” in 2002 by the Association of American Geographers, notes that 1965 and 1986 were two hot points in U.S. immigration history, each following legislative acts that offered amnesty for illegal immigrants or relaxed previous restrictions. In the 1960s, he says, 80 percent of immigrants in the United States came from Europe. Today 50 percent are from Latin America, 30 percent are from Asia, and less than 15 percent are from Europe.

“That concerns some people,” Boswell says about the shift in immigrant origin, “because they wonder if that will fundamentally change the culture of the United States.”

Having lived in three of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States—Los Angeles, New York, and Miami—Boswell is personally familiar with The Immigration Debate in the United States: Good or Bad for America? (also the title of a course he taught this summer for the University’s Bachelor of General Studies program). In class he takes a neutral position, presenting the academic writings and allowing the students to engage in discourse. But if you ask him what he thinks of current immigration policy, he’ll call it an “international disgrace. Different groups of people are treated differently. It’s prejudicial.”

Boswell supports a guest worker program, where people who come here legally have an opportunity to regularize their status and ultimately apply for citizenship over time. He also advocates a “point system,” which would replace the current system’s emphasis on family reunification. In this system, immigrants receive more points for preferred characteristics in categories such as age, education level, and ability to speak English, as well as whether or not they already have family members who live here.