Centering her analysis on New York City, Foner focuses on race and ethnicity, gender, and transnational connections. She contrasts today's Latin American, Asian, and Caribbean newcomers with eastern and southern European immigrants a century ago and with immigrants in other major U.S. cities. Looking beyond the U.S., she compares West Indian immigrants in New York with those in London and the process of immigrants’ integration in New York with other recent immigrant destinations in Europe.