Constructing Immigrant 'Illegality': Critiques, Experiences, and Responses

The topic of "illegal" immigration has been a major aspect of public discourse in the United States and many other immigrant-receiving countries. From the beginning of its modern invocation in the early twentieth century, the often ill-defined epithet of human "illegality" has figured prominently in the media; in vigorous public debates at the national, state, and local levels; and in presidential campaigns. In this collection of essays, contributors from a variety of disciplines - anthropology, law, political science, religious studies, and sociology - examine how immigration law shapes immigrant illegality, how the concept of immigrant illegality is deployed and lived, and how its power is wielded and resisted. The authors conclude that the current concept of immigrant illegality is in need of sustained critique, as careful analysis will aid policy discussions and lead to more just solutions.

Author: Cecilia Menjívar
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 05/21/2015
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.22lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.85d
ISBN: 9781107614246

About the Author
Kanstroom, Daniel: - Daniel Kanstroom is Professor of Law at Boston College Law School where he teaches immigration and refugee law, international human rights law, and administrative law. He is Director of the International Human Rights Program and the Post-Deportation Human Rights Project. He also founded the Boston College Immigration and Asylum Clinic, where students represent indigent migrants and asylum-seekers. He is the author of Aftermath: Deportation Law and the New American Diaspora (2012) and Deportation Nation: Outsiders in American History (2007).Menjívar, Cecilia: - Cecilia Menjívar is Cowden Distinguished Professor at the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University. In her work she has examined the social consequences of immigration enforcement and how the law positions immigrants to live in legal ambiguity. She is the author of Enduring Violence: Ladina Women's Everyday Lives in Guatemala (2011) and Fragmented Ties: Salvadoran Immigrant Networks in America (2000).

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