INTRODUCTIONHow should we decide who to let in? It might seem like an immigration issue, but is it really? In this article we will analyze the social concepts of otherness, new racism and critical race theory in an attempt to answer this question. When we address immigration in this country, are we talking about immigration reform or simply a new form of racism? If it's racism, what do we do about it? SUMMARY OF THE SOCIAL PROBLEM First let's answer the question: what is racism? A comprehensive definition of racism according to Merriam-Webster.com is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and abilities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race (2014). Every difference with respect to the upper class, the dominant class, the group that holds money and power, is a stratifying appeal to identification with the lower class. Racism has been practiced throughout human history and is still used as a way to justify unequal treatment and enslavement of many groups of people. Racism provides reasons for denying access to social status and cultural capital; and promotes segregation in the lower classes by maintaining the idea that other people are less equal. Secondly, how do we identify a different race? Edward Said, a postcolonial theorist, posits that the idea of ​​Otherness and Otherness permeates our society and advocates a racist approach to “differences.” Those who are identified as Others based on their differences from the upper classes or non-Others may be marginalized and suppressed in societies' class systems (Dillon 2010). Apartheid in South Africa and slavery in the United States provide us with real-world examples of extreme marginalization (Dillon 2010). Another way of making the distinction between Other...... middle of paper ......rks CitedDillon, Michele. "Sociological Theories of Race and Racism." Introduction to sociological theory: theorists, concepts and their applicability to the twenty-first century. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. 371-404. Print.Kilty, Keith M. and Maria Vidal de Haymes. 2000. “Racism, Nativism, and Exclusion: Public Policy, Immigration, and the Latino Experience in the United States.” Journal of Poverty 4(1/2):1-25."Racism." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster and Web. May 9, 2014. .Romero, Maria. 2008. “Crossing the Border of Immigration and Race: A Critical Race Theory Approach to Immigration Studies.” Contemporary Justice Review 11(1):23-37.Smith, Angela. 2006. “Paddington Bear: A Case Study in Immigration and Otherness.” Children's Literature in Education 37(1). DOI: 10.1007/s10583-005-9453-3.