Constructing Immigrant 'Illegality'
Critiques, Experiences, and Responses

This collection examines how immigration law shapes immigrant illegality, the concept of immigrant illegality, and how its power is wielded and resisted.

Cecilia Menjívar (Edited by), Daniel Kanstroom (Edited by)

9781107041592, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 November 2013

412 pages, 6 tables
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.5 cm, 0.66 kg

"At the core of debates about immigration reform - and indeed about immigration and immigrants in the United States - is what it means to be without lawful immigration status. Constructing Illegality in America, edited by Cecilia Menjívar and Daniel Kanstroom, is a pathbreaking study of the role of law in the American immigration system, showing that the very idea of illegality is far more complex than is often appreciated. Menjívar and Kanstroom have brought together a superbly perceptive set of analyses by leading scholars from a rich variety of disciplinary perspectives. Just as importantly, Menjívar and Kanstroom have deftly assembled these individual contributions into a must-read volume of remarkable comprehensiveness and depth."
Hiroshi Motomura, UCLA School of Law

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.

1. Introduction: 'immigrant illegality': constructions, critiques, resistance Cecilia Menjívar and Daniel Kanstroom
Part I. The Construction of 'Illegality': 2. Immigration 'reform' and the production of migrant 'illegality' Nicholas De Genova
3. Coercive immigration enforcement and bureaucratic ideology Nestor Rodriguez and Cristian Paredes
4. 'Illegality' across generations: public discourse and the children of undocumented immigrants Leo R. Chavez
5. 'Illegality' and the US-Mexico border: how it is produced and resisted Josiah McC. Heyman
Part II. Complicating Lived Experiences of 'Illegality': 6. Latino immigrants' diverse experiences of 'illegality' Leisy Abrego
7. Challenging the transition to new 'illegalities': undocumented young adults and the shifting boundaries of inclusion Roberto G. Gonzales, Luisa Laura Heredia and Genevieve Negrón-Gonzales
8. The modern deportation regime and Mexican families: the indirect consequences for children in new destination communities Joanna Dreby
9. From legal to 'illegal': the deportation of legal permanent residents from the United States Tanya Golash-Boza
Part III. Responses and Resistance: 10. Voice and power in the immigrant rights movement Walter J. Nicholls
11. 'Illegality' and the spaces of sanctuary: belonging and homeland-making in urban community gardens Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo and Jose Miguel Ruiz
12. Challenging laws: faith-based engagement with unauthorized immigration Marie Friedmann Marquardt, Susanna J. Snyder and Manuel A. Vásquez
13. Shades of blue: local policing, legality, and immigration law Doris Marie Provine and Paul G. Lewis
Part IV. Policy the Future: 14. 'Illegal' people and the rule of law Donald Kerwin
15. Developing a new mindset on immigration reform Bill Ong Hing.

Subject Areas: Central government policies [JPQB], Migration, immigration & emigration [JFFN]