The United States is one of the most popular destinations for those looking to improve their lives. Millions come to escape poverty, famine, and war. But the process of immigrating is often not simple; many risk legal and physical persecution for the sake of escaping. What rights should illegal immigrants have? How should immigration be handled in respect to the law and in respect to national security? This anthology engages a variety of questions pertaining to illegal immigration from diverse critical perspectives.

International human rights law is founded on the premise that all persons, by virtue of their essential humanity, should enjoy all human rights. Exceptional distinctions, for example between citizens and non-citizens, can be made only if they serve a legitimate State objective and are proportional to the achievement of the objective. Non-citizens can include: migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, victims of trafficking, foreign students, temporary visitors and stateless people. This publication looks at the diverse sources of international law and emerging international standards protecting the rights of non-citizens, including international conventions and reports by UN and treaty bodies

Intended to fill a gap in the literature on immigration, this work provides a variety of perspectives among those who agree that immigrants have rights, but may differ in how to assert those rights. The contributions challenge the historic and ongoing struggle of migrants rights.

A longtime immigration activist explores what it means to be an undocumented American—revealing the ever-shifting nature of status in the U.S.—in this “impassioned and well-reported case for change (New York Times) In this illuminating work, immigrant rights activist Aviva Chomsky shows how “illegality” and “undocumentedness” are concepts that were created to exclude and exploit. With a focus on US policy, she probes how people, especially Mexican and Central Americans, have been assigned this status—and to what ends. Blending history with human drama, Chomsky explores what it means to be undocumented in a legal, social, economic, and historical context. The result is a powerful testament of the complex, contradictory, and ever-shifting nature of status in America.

Experts address the most vexing questions of the immigration debate.

"Americans from all political perspectives agree that United States immigration laws need to be fixed. While some emphasize the need to be tough in enforcing immigration law, others emphasize the importance of fairness. International human rights law offers a practical framework embracing both of these policy goals that is in the interests of citizens and non-citizens alike. Tough, Fair, and Practical describes the human rights standards that should underpin any immigration reform legislation and makes practical recommendations to improve US law. The basic right to family unity, fair hearings, protection against arbitrary detention, workplace rights, and remedies for victims are enhanced for all persons in the United States if these rights are protected in immigration policy. While international human rights law recognizes every government's sovereign right to protect its borders, the pressure to achieve immigration reform cannot come at the cost of violating fundamental human rights."--P. [4] of cover.

A political scientist explains how the American immigration system ran off the rails -- and proposes a bold plan for reform Under the Trump administration, US immigration agencies terrorize the undocumented, target people who are here legally, and even threaten the constitutional rights of American citizens. How did we get to this point? In Illegal, Elizabeth F. Cohen reveals that our current crisis has roots in early twentieth century white nationalist politics, which began to reemerge in the 1980s. Since then, ICE and CBP have acquired bigger budgets and more power than any other law enforcement agency. Now, Trump has unleashed them. If we want to reverse the rising tide of abuse, Cohen argues that we must act quickly to rein in the powers of the current immigration regime and revive saner approaches based on existing law. Going beyond the headlines, Illegal makes clear that if we don't act now all of us, citizen and not, are at risk.

Examines the issues surrounding the rights of illegal immigrants.

Discusses the controversial viewpoints regarding illegal immigration.