An immigrant ID card from the 1920s and 30s for Rosaura Piñera, who later became a US citizen at age 100.

Immigration Rewind

A woman in a mask and gloves holds a sign reading "immigrants are essential NWDC is not"

Xenophobia ‘takes its toll’ as Trump works to curb immigration

Professor Erika Lee speaks with The World's Marco Werman about how the US has responded with changes to immigration policy and increased xenophobia during times of war, economic hardship and disease throughout history.

Xenophobia ‘takes its toll’ as Trump works to curb immigration
A mural of the Beatles

How the Beatles created a sense of ‘place’ for this Argentinian American

How the Beatles created a sense of ‘place’ for this Argentinian American
A black and white image of a newspaper titled "La Amérika"

I'm an American. But my family came to the US fraudulently.

I'm an American. But my family came to the US fraudulently.
A black and white photo of people going through immigration queues

Cuccinelli’s ‘bootstraps’ line reflects historical amnesia of ‘public charge’

Cuccinelli’s ‘bootstraps’ line reflects historical amnesia of ‘public charge’
Musicians sit on a stage in blue lighting

Azoreans long for family abroad with this double-hearted instrument

Azoreans long for family abroad with this double-hearted instrument
(Left to right) Gwen Muranaka, Mikey Hirano Culross and Mario Reyes, in the newsroom of the last remaining Japanese American daily newspaper, the Rafu Shimpo in downtown Los Angeles, 2010.

A Japanese American newspaper chronicles the ‘searing’ history of immigrant incarceration

As Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II die, one newspaper finds its community’s history carries new resonance in the current era of immigrant detention.

A Japanese American newspaper chronicles the ‘searing’ history of immigrant incarceration
A black and white historical photo of a uniformed man with his hand on a woman's shoulder while young boys look on.

For centuries, migrants have been said to pose public health risks. They don’t.

The myth of the "diseased migrant" has fueled xenophobic immigration policies for centuries.

For centuries, migrants have been said to pose public health risks. They don’t.
black and white photo of three women and a man standing on stage

60 years before BTS, the Kim Sisters were America's original K-pop stars

Sixty years before today's “K-pop invasion,” the Kim Sisters, a Korean girl group, landed on US shores and rocketed to stardom — singing American hits before they even learned English.

60 years before BTS, the Kim Sisters were America's original K-pop stars
A man and a woman fill out forms with Mexican passports in the frame

Nixon and Reagan tried closing the border to pressure Mexico — here’s what happened

Twice in the last half-century the US has tried to use the border to force Mexico to bend to America’s will. The ruse failed both times. The history suggests that threats of border closure may be politically useful, but are never a real answer to human tragedy.

Nixon and Reagan tried closing the border to pressure Mexico — here’s what happened
A fence strung with signs and paper cranes

Immigrant detention centers are a grim reminder of Japanese American history

Survivors of WWII Japanese incarceration camps are on the other side of the barbed wire now, but some say they want the world to know that they will not sit idly by and watch injustice happen again.

Immigrant detention centers are a grim reminder of Japanese American history
Four black and white photos of a Korean baby in a row, with a file folder above.

30 years later, this Korean adoptee finds ‘home’ again

Shawyn Lee was adopted from South Korea into a white, midwestern American family. Three decades later, she touched down in Seoul again for the first time, exploring her heritage as a queer, Korean adoptee.

30 years later, this Korean adoptee finds ‘home’ again
A black and white photo of a large family

For many, international adoption isn't just a new family. It's the loss of another life.

Here is what I know: I am culturally American. I am racially Asian. I came to the US when I was just over six months old, and a couple years later I was naturalized as an American citizen. But when I traveled back to South Korea for the first time, I realized how much of my heritage had been left behind.

For many, international adoption isn't just a new family. It's the loss of another life.
An artist rendering of European soldiers disembarking from ships being greeted by two Indigenous men

European colonization of the Americas killed 10 percent of world population and caused global cooling

The “Great Dying” of Indigenous populations in the Americas after the arrival of Europeans is the largest human mortality event in proportion to the global population, putting it second in absolute terms only to World War II. The devastation of the population also caused a drop in atmospheric CO₂. During this period, severe winters and cold summers caused famines and rebellions from Europe to Japan.

European colonization of the Americas killed 10 percent of world population and caused global cooling
Black and white image of several people and a horse standing in front of teepees. A dog howls in the mid-foreground.

Ignored and deported, Cree 'refugees' echo the crises of today

Indigenous Crees lived in the northern Plains long before the US-Canada border divided the region. But bisected by the line and labeled “foreign” Indians in the US, Cree were denied basic necessities, work — and eventually, even the right to stay in the country.

Ignored and deported, Cree 'refugees' echo the crises of today
A black woman stands with a staff.

Amid 1619 anniversary, Virginia grapples with history of slavery in America

As Virginia marks 400 years since the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in the English colonies, it confronts the problem of silenced voices in history.

Amid 1619 anniversary, Virginia grapples with history of slavery in America