Immigrant rights in the Nuevo South : enforcement and resistance at the borderlands of illegality

Every day, undocumented immigrants are rendered vulnerable through policies and practices that illegalize them. Moreover, they are socially constructed into dangerous criminals and taxpayer burdens who are undeserving of rights, dignity, and respect. Meghan Conley’s timely book, __Immigrant Rights in the Nuevo South,__ seeks to expose and challenge these dehumanizing ideas and practices byexamining the connections between repression and resistance for unauthorized immigrants in communities across the American Southeast. Conley uses on-the-ground interviews to describe fear and resistance from the perspective of those most affected by it. She shows how, for example, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act in Georgia prompted marches and an action that became “a day of non-compliance.” Likewise, an “enforcement lottery” that created unpredictable threats of arrest and deportation in the region mobilized immigrants to organize and demonstrate. However, as immigrant rights activists mobilize in opposition to the criminalization of undocumented people, they may unintentionally embrace stories of who deserves to be in the United States and who does not. __Immigrant Rights in the Nuevo South__ explores these paradoxes while offering keen observations about the nature and power of Latinx resistance. Every day, undocumented immigrants are rendered vulnerable through policies and practices that illegalize them. Moreover, they are socially constructed into dangerous criminals and taxpayer burdens who are undeserving of rights, dignity, and respect. Meghan Conley’s timely book, Immigrant Rights in the Nuevo South, seeks to expose and challenge these dehumanizing ideas and practices by examining the connections between repression and resistance for unauthorized immigrants in communities across the American Southeast. Conley uses on-the-ground interviews to describe fear and resistance from the perspective of those most affected by it. She shows how, for example, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act in Georgia prompted marches and an action that became “a day of non-compliance.” Likewise, an “enforcement lottery” that created unpredictable threats of arrest and deportation in the region mobilized immigrants to organize and demonstrate. However, as immigrant rights activists mobilize in opposition to the criminalization of undocumented people, they may unintentionally embrace stories of who deserves to be in the United States and who does not. Immigrant Rights in the Nuevo South explores these paradoxes while offering keen observations about the nature and power of Latinx resistance. "Unauthorized immigrants in the southeastern United States encounter communities unused to their new Latino neighbors and quick to call law enforcement. The precariousness of this way of life leads immigrant communities and allies to organize and demonstrate to secure legal rights, but these actions risk backlash depending on local context"-- Provided by publisher Contents Author’s Note Preface 1. From Illegality to Resistance 2. New Destination Borderlands 3. Multiplying Forces in theHomeland Security State 4. The Enforcement Lottery 5. Welcome to Alabama 6. Building Structure, Building Power 7. Storytelling Resistance 8. Undoing Illegality Acknowledgments References Index