Undecided Nation

There is a broad consensus that the United States' immigration system is broken, yet the political momentum behind the movement has not yet led to a consensus on how to fix it. This momentum has stemmed from the agreement that we have an immigration "crisis" on our hands - millions of undocumented immigrants living and working in the United States under increasingly harsh conditions, tremendous spending on border security and enforcement measures without protection of civil rights, changing voter demographics, and other pressing issues have ushered in the moment for immigration reform. This book presents research and policy recommendations from leading U.S. immigration experts and scholars, who have many valuable insights and nuanced perspectives to offer to the current debate on immigration reform. The goal of this immigration study is to disseminate knowledge and policy recommendations to scholars, government officials, the media, and the general policy community on vital issues regarding the present question of immigration reform. This book discusses the future prospects of immigration reform and delves into various details, options, and obstacles related to immigration reform. The chapters presented shed light on a number of issues that are currently being debated in the immigration bill. Some of them address the salience of the immigration issue in Latino political behavior and the impact of demographic context. Other papers hone in on the landscape of legislative initiatives addressing immigration at the state and local levels, and some authors address the implications of immigration reform for the labor market and economic climate. The book will be of interest to both scholars and policy-makers concerned with immigration in the United States.

Presents research and policy recommendations from leading U.S. immigration experts and scholars

Introduction.- Latino Issue Priorities and Political Behavior across U.S. Contexts.- Latinos, Public Opinion, and Immigration Reform.- U.S. Immigration, Demography, and Citizenship in a Digital Age.- Workers, Families, and Immigration Policies.- Security and U.S. Immigration Policy: Two American Immigration Security Traditions and an Analytical Framework of National Security and U.S. Immigration Policy.- Ctrl+Alt+Del: Rebooting Immigration Policies through Socio-technical Change.- Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Market.- The Costs and Benefits of Immigration Enforcement.- The Immigration Debate in Texas.- Immigration Policy and Partisan Politics in the State Legislatures: 2010-2012.- U.S. Immigration Policy in the 21st Century, with Special Reference to Education: Examining -Crosscurrents of Nativist and Accomodationist Policymaking.- The Congressional Dynamics of Immigration Reform. Conclusion.