Greg Prieto - Myth and Reality in the U.S. Immigration Debate

What part of illegal dont you understand? This oft-repeated slogan reflects the contentious quality of the immigration reform debate in the United States: a debate that has raged on unresolved since at least 1986 when Congress extended amnesty to many undocumented immigrants. This impasse is due, in large part, to widespread misinformation about immigration. This short and accessible textbook takes a critical perspective on immigration law and policy, arguing that immigrant illegality is itself produced by law, with tremendous consequences for immigrants and their families. Across six chapters that examine the conceptual, historical, economic, global, legal, and racial dimensions of immigration to the United States, Prieto argues that illegal immigration is a problem of policy, not people. History and cutting-edge social science data guide an analysis of the actual, empirical impact of immigration on U.S. society. By debunking myths about immigration, the reader is invited to form their own opinion on the basis of fact and in light of the unequal treatment different immigrant groups have received since the nations founding.

Myth and Reality in the U.S. Immigration Debate synthesizes key lessons from the fields of sociology, law and society, history, economics and critical race studies in a digestible and engaging format. This text will serve as an introduction to the study of immigration and a primer for those who wish to engage in a sober and compassionate conversation about immigrants and immigration in the United States.

Greg Prieto is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of San Diego. His first book Immigrants Under Threat: Risk and Resistance in the Deportation Nation (NYU Press), was the co-winner of the Best Contribution to Research Book Award granted by the Latina/o Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association. His articles appear in the journals American Sociological Review, Latino Studies, and Research in Social Movements, Conflict and Change, among others.

Series Editor: France Winddance Twine, University of California, Santa Barbara

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Available

Body Problems

Running and Living Long in a Fast-Food Society

Ben Agger

The U.S. Immigration Debate

The Myths and Realities of Immigration in the United States

Greg Prieto

Series Advisory Board: Rene Almeling, Yale University, Joyce Bell, University of Pittsburgh, Elizabeth Bernstein, Barnard College, David Embrick, Loyola University Chicago, Tanya GolashBoza, University of California Merced, Melissa Harris, New York University, Matthew Hughey, University of Connecticut, Kerwin Kaye, SUNY Old Westbury, Wendy Moore, Texas A&M, Alondra Nelson, Columbia University, Deirdre Royster, New York University, Zulema Valdez, University of California Merced, Victor Rios, University of California Santa Barbara.

Myth and Reality in the
U.S. Immigration Debate

Greg Prieto

First published 2021

by Routledge

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and by Routledge

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2021 Taylor & Francis

The right of Greg Prieto to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

by MPS Limited, Dehradun

A book is always a collective effort, and this one is no exception. I extend my sincere thanks to Series Editor and mentor Winddance Twine, as well as Senior Editor Dean Birkenkamp, for their support of this project. The University of San Diego College of Arts and Sciences generously provided me with time away from teaching to complete and revise the manuscript. I thank the anonymous reviewer for their thoughtful and detailed feedback on . The research reviewed therein is presented more clearly and accurately thanks to their comments. Over the years, I have learned much from a network of immigration scholars whose insights, ideas, and arguments shaped this book. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to these inspiring colleagues and friends, including Tanya Golash-Boza, Joanna Perez, Tom Wong, David Fitzgerald, Amada Armenta, Abigail Andrews, Angela Garca, Gilda Ochoa, Rene Flores, Ev Meade, and Victor Carmona. Whatever utility readers find in this text will be due in no small part to all that I have learned from their scholarship and camaraderie. To Mara Silva and the late Jonathan Yost, your activism and smarts have left an indelible impression on me and inspired this book in the first place. A very special thank you to Mata Flores, Eunice Gonzalez-Sierra, and her parents Leobardo Gonzalez and Margarita Sierra for the books cover image. After Eunice earned her bachelors degree from UCLA in Chicana/o Studies, Mata captured this moment with Eunice and her parents standing in the strawberry fields of Santa Maria where they have both worked for more than two decades. The image captures the sacrifice and the labor of a family connected by hope and struggle across generations: a story shared by immigrant families all across the United States. And to my friends and loved onesZach Thompson, Martin Repinecz, Peter Mena, and Lloyd Burnettmy thanks for keeping me focused, for encouraging me, and for helping me to see the way forward even when I could not.