The New Immigration Federalism

Since 2004, the United States has seen a flurry of state and local laws dealing with unauthorized immigrants. Though initially restrictionist, these laws have recently undergone a dramatic shift toward promoting integration. How are we to make sense of this new immigration federalism? What are its causes? And what are its consequences for the federal-state balance of power? In The New Immigration Federalism, Professors Pratheepan Gulasekaram and S. Karthick Ramakrishnan provide answers to these questions using a mix of quantitative, historical, and doctrinal legal analysis. In so doing they refute the popular "demographic necessity" argument put forward by anti-immigrant activists and politicians. Instead, they posit that immigration federalism is rooted in a political process that connects both federal and subfederal actors: the Polarized Change Model. Their model captures not only the spread of restrictionist legislation but also its abrupt turnaround in 2012, projecting valuable insights for the future.

Author: Pratheepan Gulasekaram, S. Karthick Ramakrishnan
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 09/15/2015
Pages: 280
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.06h x 6.02w x 0.71d
ISBN: 9781107530867

Review Citation(s):
Choice 03/01/2016

About the Author
Gulasekaram, Pratheepan: - Pratheepan Gulasekaram is Associate Professor at Santa Clara University School of Law. He has published widely on immigration federalism and the constitutional rights of noncitizens both in popular media platforms and prominent legal journals including the New York University Law Review. Before entering academia, Gulasekaram clerked for the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans. He earned his BA at Brown University and his JD at Stanford Law School.Ramakrishnan, S. Karthick: - S. Karthick Ramakrishnan is Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside. He directs the National Asian American Survey and has written numerous books and articles on civic participation and immigration policy. Ramakrishnan is founding editor of the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (JREP) and is an appointee to the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. He earned his BA at Brown University and his PhD at Princeton University.