Writing Immigration

Bringing nuance, complexity, and clarity to a subject often seen in black and whiteWriting Immigration presents a unique interplay of leading scholars and journalists working on the contentious topic of immigration. In a series of powerful essays, the contributors reflect on how they struggle to write about one of the defining issues of our time—one that is at once local and global, familiar and uncanny, concrete and abstract. Highlighting and framing central questions surrounding immigration, their essays explore topics including illegal immigration, state and federal mechanisms for immigration regulation, enduring myths and fallacies regarding immigration, immigration and the economy, immigration and education, the adaptations of the second generation, and more. Together, these writings give a clear sense of the ways in which scholars and journalists enter, shape, and sometimes transform this essential yet unfinished national conversation.

Bringing nuance, complexity, and clarity to a subject often seen in black and whiteWriting Immigration presents a unique interplay of leading scholars and journalists working on the contentious topic of immigration. In a series of powerful essays, the contributors reflect on how they struggle to write about one of the defining issues of our time—one that is at once local and global, familiar and uncanny, concrete and abstract. Highlighting and framing central questions surrounding immigration, their essays explore topics including illegal immigration, state and federal mechanisms for immigration regulation, enduring myths and fallacies regarding immigration, immigration and the economy, immigration and education, the adaptations of the second generation, and more. Together, these writings give a clear sense of the ways in which scholars and journalists enter, shape, and sometimes transform this essential yet unfinished national conversation.

Preface
Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco, Vivian Louie, and Roberto Suro

Acknowledgments

Introduction
Roberto Suro

Part One. Immigration and the Law
1. The Making of an Outlaw Generation
Nina Bernstein

2. The Integrated Regime of Immigration Regulation
Cristina M. Rodríguez

3. What Part of "Illegal" Don’t You Understand?
Dianne Solis

4. Some Observations about Immigration Journalism
Peter H. Schuck

INTERLUDE I. Covering Immigration: From Stepchild Beat to Newsroom Mainstream
Patrick J. McDonnell

Part Two. Immigration and the Economy
5. Consensus, Debate, and Wishful Thinking: The Economic Impact of Immigration
Edward Schumacher-Matos

6. Ten Top Myths and Fallacies Regarding Immigration
Barry R. Chiswick

Interlude II. A Son of Immigrants on Covering Immigration
George de Lama

Part Three. Immigration and the Second Generation
7. The Education Transformation: Why the Media Missed One of the Biggest Stories in America
Ginger Thompson

8. Moving Stories: Academic Trajectories of Newcomer Immigrant Students
Carola Suárez-Orozco

9. Who Will Report the Next Chapter of America’s Immigration Story?
Tyche Hendricks

10. Complicating the Story of Immigrant Integration
Vivian Louie

11. Debating Immigration: Are We Addressing the Right Issues?
Mary C. Waters

Afterword
Roberto Suro

Contributors
Index