Beyond Economic Migration : Social, Historical, and Political Factors in US Immigration

**Offers a critique of the economic model of immigration** Most understandings of migration to the US focus on two primary factors. Either there was trouble in the home country, such as political unrest or famine, that pushed people out, or there was a general yearning for “a better life” or “more opportunity,” often conceptualized as the American Dream. Although many contemporary migrants in the United States have been driven by economic interests, the processes of immigration and integration are shaped also by the intersection of a range of noneconomic factors in both sending and receiving countries. The contributors to __Beyond Economic Migration__ offer a nuanced look at a range of issues affecting motives to migrate and outcomes of integration, including US immigration policy and the visa system, labor market incorporation, employment precarity, identity and belonging, and transnationalism relating to female migrants, student migrants, and temporary foreign workers. __Beyond Economic Migration__ argues that, for the dream of fair and equitable migration to be realized, analyses of cross-border movements, resettlement, and integration must pay attention to how migrants’ individual attributes interact with institutional mechanisms and social processes. Contents List of Figures List of Tables Understanding Economic Migration to the United States: An Introduction 1. The Making of Immigrant Labor: Inequality, Digital Capitalism, and Racialized Enforcement 2. Evolving Trends of Latin American Immigration in the United States: Challenges for the Integration of Skilled Immigrants 3. East Asian Immigration: Historical Trends and Contemporary Issues in Movement to the United States 4. The US Visa System: Growing Complexity and Difference without Legislative Change 5. Preferential Hiring: US Earnings of Skilled Temporary Foreign Workers 6. Elusive Permanent Residency: Democratic Deficit of Skilled Temporary Foreign Workers 7. International Students: Mobility and Resettlement 8. Highly Skilled African Immigrants: Fields of Study, Education-Occupation Matching, and Earnings in the US Labor Market 9. Highly Skilled Female Pakistani Immigrants: Devalued Credentials 10. Transnationalism and Gender among Immigrants: Economic, Political, and Social Challenges 11. Remittances as Transnationalism: The Case of Bangladeshi Immigrants in Los Angeles Acknowledgments About the Editors About the Contributors Index