Illegal Immigration

This work is an overview of America's attempts to deal with the problem of illegal immigration, with discussions of every immigration law passed since 1965, crucial court cases, key actors and organizations, and proposed solutions.Twelve million illegal immigrants currently live and work in the United States. Economically, we rely on them. Yet we hesitate to provide social services and citizenship to people who are in the country unlawfully. What's the answer? A 1, 200-mile fence? Amnesty and citizenship? Or something in between?Emotions run high around the problem of illegal immigration. It not only affects jobs, schools, social services, prisons, and taxes, it also raises difficult issues of race, class, vigilantism, and human rights.Illegal Immigration: A Reference Handbook confronts these heated controversies head on. It traces the successes and the failures of our attempts to manage illegal immigration, from 1965 to the present. Through examination of pertinent laws and court cases, it analyzes the many problems that result from high levels of illegal immigration, our current efforts at control, and the proposed reforms now on the national agenda—from barricades to guest worker programs to amnesty. It offers readers a fair and thorough grounding on an issue of central importance to the future of North America.