The United States was founded through immigration; immigrants from everywhere and every part of the world. Who are they? How did they get here? Why did they come? Many of these questions can be answered by considering how race, gender, and sexuality influence immigration. Immigration means something different to everyone and for some it is a force, while for others it is a choice. For some it means pursuing the "American dream", for others it may mean freeing oneself from political and religious persecution, but it is still always a test. Gender roles, relationships and inequalities influence who migrates and why, how the decision is made, the impacts on the migrants themselves, on the areas of origin and those of reception. Focusing on immigrant women, Erica Rand's “Breeders on a Golf Ball: Normalizing Sex at Ellis Island,” Susan Pierce's “Immigration and Women: Understanding the American Experience,” and Robert Foster's “The heat of Other Suns” will verify that race , gender and sexuality, as well as gender and social norms, have shaped ideas of citizenship and immigration. When typed into one of the world's largest Internet search engines, "sexuality" provides many results. However, no true definition of the word "sexuality" is returned. The results include definitions of human sexuality, sex and gender. Therefore, one may believe that they are all somewhat synonymous with each other and can mean many things to many people. Overall, the collective definition of sexuality is “the awareness of gender differences and the ability to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also refer to how someone is sexually attracted to another person.” Sexuality influences how migrants adapt to the new country... middle of paper... would be more accepted. “The people who live in this country (the United States) should feel it constantly: This country survives because foreigners are constantly coming to this place, expanding it a little, adding to it, changing it, and making it their home. (248)” Even though these immigrants may be seen as outcasts in their group, they are the type of people who make the United States unique. If immigrants are to benefit from the empowerment and development potential of migration, a move towards a gendered human rights system A development approach to migration is needed. Ideas of immigration are shaped by factors including race, sexuality, gender, and gender norms. Citizenship should be open to those immigrants who work hard for it and deserve it, rather than to those who differ in physical appearance or have different beliefs.