Illegal Immigration in America

Few issues have provoked as much controversy over the last decade as illegal immigration. While some argue for the need to seal America's borders and withdraw all forms of social and governmental support for illegal migrants and their children, others argue for humanitarian treatment—including legalization—for people who fill widely acknowledged needs in American industry and agriculture and have left home-country situations of economic hardship or political persecution. The study of illegal immigration necessarily confronts a broad range of migrants—from the familiar border crossers to those who enter illegally and overstay their visas, to the many unrecognized refugees who enter the country to seek protection under U.S. asylum law. The subject also demands attention to American society's responses to these newcomers—responses that often focus on limited elements of a complex issue.

A comprehensive, up-to-date review of this volatile subject, this book provides an accessible, balanced introduction to the subject. Covering the full range of illegal immigrants from Mexican border crossers to Central American refugees, illegal Europeans, and smuggled Chinese, the book considers the kind of work the migrants do and the public response to them. The work is divided into four parts: Concepts, Policies, and Numbers; The Migrants and Their Work; The Responses; and Illegal Immigration in Perspective.

David W. Haines is associate professor of anthropology at George Mason University. His earlier books include Refugees as Immigrants: Cambodians, Laotians, and Vietnamese in America (1989) and Refugees in America in the 1990s: A Reference Handbook (Greenwood, 1996). He is a past Chair of the American Anthropological Association's Committee on Refugees and Immigrants. His other academic work focuses on Vietnamese social history, American culture and society, and refugee and immigration policy.

Karen E. Rosenblum is currently Vice-President for University Life at George Mason University. Her PhD is in sociology, and her other publications include The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, and Sexual Orientation (1996, 2nd ed. forthcoming 1999). Her publications focus on gender, language, and the social construction of minority groups.