Often a source of contention and public policy debate, immigration is an issue that hits at the core of the American experience. Immigration seems to fundamentally ask: what does it mean to be a citizen? What is lost and gained culturally when a person leaves her native land? We will be discussing the role gender plays in migration, the differences between the first and second generation, assimilation vs. integration, the challenges of straddling two worlds, and the legal status of groups like refugees. While the circumstances for immigration always vary, the goal seems to be the same: the opportunity for a better life.