If we’re going to think faithfully about immigration and immigrants, it’s important that we share an understanding of how immigration works today. The American Immigration Council has created a helpful fact sheet with the basic information about the U.S. legal immigration system.
"Immigration to the United States is based upon the following principles: the reunification of families, admitting immigrants with skills that are valuable to the U.S. economy, protecting refugees, and promoting diversity. This fact sheet provides basic information about how the U.S. legal immigration system is designed."