Fareed Zakaria reports on America's immigration politics – what keeps the nation from modernizing its immigration policies and the potential political risks and social consequences if America does not reform the current system. Zakaria describes America's unique, current moment in immigration politics. The "perfect storm" of the global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and massively destructive changing climate patterns have supercharged an unprecedented surge of immigration to America. He reports that 2.4 million migrants were apprehended at the border in fiscal year 2022. Some of America's border cities have received more migrants than their own residential populations, overwhelming resources and public services and roiling local and national politics.Zakaria traces the roots of the current patchwork of policies to the Immigration Acts of 1924 and 1965, both codified in earlier turbulent times and developed in the shadow of racism. And, in the early 20th century, Eastern Europeans and Irish were considered "non-white," a circumstance that would likely surprise most Americans today. President Lyndon Johnson seemed only able to secure a bipartisan coalition to codify the 1965 legislation, which eliminated a racist national quota system and expanded immigration access to more nations, only in the wake of the tragic assassination of President John F. Kennedy and after some of the decade's extraordinarily violent reactions to civil rights.Although immigration is empirically essential for economic growth, mass migrations are rational and unsustainable, asserts Zakaria. He warns that the lack of solutions to fixing America's immigration system has exacerbated political polarization. Nationalist and even fascist backlash has jeopardized democracy in other nations – as well as in America – and the time to seek legislative consensus on reform is both urgent and now.Contributors include: David Frum, a staff writer for The Atlantic; author, TRUMPOCALYPSE: Restoring American Democracy (2020); Tom Gjelten, author, A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story (2016); David Goodman, Houston bureau chief, The New York Times; Robert Guest, deputy editor, The Economist; author, Borderless Economics: Chinese Sea Turtles, Indian Fridges, and the New Fruits of Global Capitalism (2013); Randall Kennedy, professor, Harvard Law School; author, Say It Loud!: On Race, Law, History, and Culture (2021); Thomas C. Leonard, historian of economics, Princeton University; author, Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics and American Economics in the Progressive Era (2016); Rachel Self, immigration attorney; and, Jia Lynn Yang, national editor, The New York Times; author, One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965 (2020).