Immigration Law and the U.S.-Mexico Border

Abstract:     
Americans from radically different political persuasions agree on the need to “fix” the “broken” U.S. immigration laws to address serious deficiencies and improve border enforcement. In “Immigration Law and the U.S.-Mexico Border,” Kevin Johnson and Bernard Trujillo focus on what, for many, is at the core of the entire immigration debate in modern America: immigration from Mexico.

Johnson and Trujillo explore the long history of discrimination against U.S. citizens of Mexican ancestry in the United States and the current movement against “illegal aliens” — persons depicted as not deserving fair treatment by U.S. law. The authors argue that the United States has a special relationship with Mexico by virtue of sharing a 2,000-mile border and a “land-grab of epic proportions” when the United States “acquired” nearly two-thirds of Mexican territory between 1836 and 1853.

The authors explain U.S. immigration law and policy in its many aspects — including the migration of labor, the place of state and local regulation over immigration, and the contributions of Mexican immigrants to the U.S. economy. Their objective is to help thinking citizens on both sides of the border sort through an issue with a long, emotional history that will undoubtedly continue to inflame politics until cooler, and better-informed, heads can prevail. The authors conclude by outlining possibilities for the future, sketching a possible movement to promote social justice.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 2

Keywords: immigration, Mexico, border, illegal aliens, immigration law and policy

Accepted Paper Series