Undecided Nation: Political Gridlock and the Immigration Crisis (Immigrants and Minorities, Politics and Policy Book 6)

There is a broad consensus that the United States’ immigration system is broken, yet the political momentum behind the movement has not yet led to a consensus on how to fix it. This momentum has stemmed from the agreement that we have an immigration “crisis” on our hands – millions of undocumented immigrants living and working in the United States under increasingly harsh conditions, tremendous spending on border security and enforcement measures without protection of civil rights, changing voter demographics, and other pressing issues have ushered in the moment for immigration reform. This book presents research and policy recommendations from leading U.S. immigration experts and scholars, who have many valuable insights and nuanced perspectives to offer to the current debate on immigration reform. The goal of this immigration study is to disseminate knowledge and policy recommendations to scholars, government officials, the media, and the general policy community on vital issues regarding the present question of immigration reform. This book discusses the future prospects of immigration reform and delves into various details, options, and obstacles related to immigration reform. The chapters presented shed light on a number of issues that are currently being debated in the immigration bill. Some of them address the salience of the immigration issue in Latino political behavior and the impact of demographic context. Other papers hone in on the landscape of legislative initiatives addressing immigration at the state and local levels, and some authors address the implications of immigration reform for the labor market and economic climate. The book will be of interest to both scholars and policy-makers concerned with immigration in the United States. Front Matter....Pages i-xx Introduction....Pages 1-19 Front Matter....Pages 21-21 The Congressional Dynamics of Immigration Reform....Pages 23-48 Latino Issue Priorities and Political Behavior Across US Contexts....Pages 49-78 Immigration Policy Versus Immigration Politics: Latinos and the Reform Debate....Pages 79-95 Front Matter....Pages 97-97 Immigration Policy and Partisan Politics in the State Legislatures: 2010–2012....Pages 99-119 The Immigration Debate in Texas....Pages 121-137 US Immigration Policy in the Twenty-First Century, with Special Reference to Education: Examining Crosscurrents of Nativist and Accommodationist Policymaking....Pages 139-159 Front Matter....Pages 161-161 The Costs and Benefits of Immigration Enforcement....Pages 163-187 Immigrants in the US Labor Market....Pages 189-207 Workers, Families, and Immigration Policies....Pages 209-228 US Children with Parents in Deportation Proceedings....Pages 229-250 Front Matter....Pages 251-251 Security and Immigration Policy: An Analytical Framework for Reform....Pages 253-270 Ctrl + Alt + Del: Rebooting Immigration Policies Through Socio-technical Change....Pages 271-291 US Immigration, Demography, and Citizenship in a Digital Age....Pages 293-311 The Path to US Immigration Reform....Pages 313-337 Conclusion....Pages 339-342 There is widespread agreement that the U.S. immigration system is broken, but no consensus on how to fix it. In this book, leading U.S. immigration experts and scholars realistically assess the prospects for immigration reform and delve into the details, options and obstacles for potential legislation. The chapters presented here shed light on the congressional debates stalling meaningful reforms, and the demographic and political trends shaping an increasingly multicultural United States. Immigration legislation at the state and local levels is also reviewed along with the implications of reforms for U.S. jobs and the economy. This book will interest both scholars and policymakers concerned not only about immigration but also the future of America Preface; Acknowledgements; Contents; Contributors; List of Figures; List of Tables; Introduction; Changes in the National Political Landscape: Down and Up ... and Down Again; Congressional Dynamics: Between the Senate and the House or a Rock and a Hard Place; The Four Corners of Immigration Reform; The Undocumented Resident Population: The 11 Million Ghosts Living in the Shadows; New Visa System; Domestic Enforcement; Border Security; Military-Industrial Complex; Bureaucracy and Human Rights; The Future of the Labor Market in North America; Outline of the Book; References; Part I