In their new book Streets of Gold: America’s Untold Story of Immigrant Success, Ran Abramitzky and Leah Boustan write: “For every uplifting tale of an immigrant striking it rich, there is an ominous story of an immigrant undermining American culture from within. For many Americans, ideas about immigration are based on these tales and the feelings they arouse, not on facts and data. It’s no wonder immigration is one of those divisive issues that everyone thinks they understand. Ultimately, immigration myths color how voters think about immigration and affect immigration policy.”

The book goes on to dispel these myths, using mountains of historical census data to show how immigrants have risen to success over generations, and how today’s immigrants have more in common with those of the Ellis Island era than many assume.

Here, IPL faculty co-director David Laitin explores the book with Ran Abramitzky, a Stanford economist and IPL faculty affiliate.