Immigration: A Civil Rights Issue for the Americas

Public policy on immigration will be central to determining the form and character of U.S. society in the twenty-first century. The political Right has so far seized the initiative in defining the parameters of the discussion, in effect limiting national debate to choosing between degrees of restrictionism. Immigration: A Civil Rights Issue for the Americas fills a gap in existing literature on immigration by providing a variety of perspectives among those who agree that immigrants have rights, but may differ about how to assert those rights. First published in the quarterly journal Social Justice in 1996, these essays are written by some of the most notable scholars in the area of immigration. This volume will be valuable for classroom use and beyond because of the readable and accessible style of the articles. The 13 contributions to this new book are refreshingly progressive interventions into the national debate on immigration. They agree that divergent approaches exist among progressives and that such differences must be examined. Calling upon that which is best in the democratic heritage of the U.S., this collection challenges the historic and ongoing civil rights struggle to adopt a global perspective that includes the civil rights of all immigrants, whether documented or undocumented. In addition, the book takes on issues that are relevant to everyday realities in most communi-ties throughout the U.S. Immigration: A Civil Rights Issue for the Americas is ideal for courses on 20th-century American history, immigration, sociology, political science, and other social sciences.