The politics of immigration :questions and answers /Jane Guskin and David L. Wilson.

Book

Community of Christ Library

Name/Title

Description

Preface : Is the United States a nation of immigrants? --Author's notes --1.Who are the immigrants? --How do we define immigrants? --How many immigrants are here? --Are immigrants different from other people? --Who are the undocumented immigrants? --Is there a "new wave" of immigration? --Is the new wave really new? --Are politicians stirring up a panic about immigration? --2.Why do people immigrate? --What are the "root causes" of migration? --Why do people come to the United States? --Is it our fault other countries have so many problems? --Why do so many Mexicans come here? --Why don't people stay home and fix their own countries? --What happens when people do try to fix their countries? --How can we address the root causes of immigration? --3.Does the United States welcome refugees? --What is a refugee? --Thevoyage of the St. Louis --Who gets political asylum? --Are all refugees treated equally? --Why do Cubans get special treatment? --^^4.Why can't they just "get legal"? --Is it really important who's "legal" and who's not? --How "illegal" is immigration, anyway? --Criminal or civil? --Why don't immigrants "follow the rules"? --Don't all immigrants bring their extended families here? --Isn't there some kind of "visa lottery"? --Is it really so hard to get a tourist visa? --"Yacht people" --Aren't there lots of other ways to come here legally? --Once immigrants have been here a while, can't they "get legal"? --Isn't there some kind of waiver"? --Who can "get legal"? --What about the so-called "anchor babies"? --Couldn't immigrants become U.S. citizens if they wanted to? --5.Is it easy to be "illegal"? --Is it easy to live here "illegally"? --Do immigrants have the right to an education? --Are undocumented workers more exploited? --Are all workers protected by labor laws? --Do immigrants have constitutional rights? --Do immigrants have the right to protest? --How can you tell who's a citizen and who's not? --^^6.Are immigrants hurting our economy? --How much do immigrants cost us? --Do immigrants collect welfare? --Do immigrants pay taxes? --How much do out-of-status immigrants get back? --The9/11 victims --Do remittances drain the economy? --Do immigrants take our jobs? --Don't they just take jobs we don't want? --Do immigrants bring down wages? --Why do they work for less? --Who benefits from low wages for immigrants? --What can we do about the "race to the bottom"? --7.Is immigration bad for our health, environment, or culture? --Do immigrants endanger public health? --What about epidemics like TB and AIDS? --Is immigration bad for the environment? --Do immigrants care about the environment? --Are immigrants to blame for population growth? --Is overpopulation a serious environmental threat? --How can we slow population growth? --What about overcrowding in our communities? --Do immigrants learn English? --Are the new immigrants too "different" to assimilate? --What factors slow assimilation? --Who are the "real Americans"? --^^8.Are immigrants a threat? --Do immigrants commit more crimes than non-immigrants? --Is it unfair to treat immigrants who commit crimes differently than citizens? --Does deportation make us safer? --Is there a link between immigration and terrorism? --Is the government going after foreign terrorists? --How did the September 11 hijackers get here? --Who decides who's a terrorist? --Does the crackdown on immigrants make us safer? --How does the crackdown on immigrants affect the rest of us? --Did all this start with September 11? --Are immigrant workers a national security risk? --9.Enforcement : is it a solution? --If we enforce our laws, will the problem go away? --What if we deport all the "illegal" immigrants? --Are we doing enough to secure the border? --What has border enforcement done so far? --Can't we seal off the border? --How would smugglers deal with "sealed" borders? --Can't we cut off the "job magnet"? --What have employer sanctions accomplished? --How are employer sanctions enforced? --How does workplace enforcement affect organizing? --If we make life hard enough for immigrants, will they leave? --Who profits from enforcement? --^^10.What about "guest worker" and amnesty programs? --Are "guest worker" programs a solution? --How did we end up with these "guest worker" programs? --Slavery in the cane fields --What happened to the Mexican "braceros"? --How are "guest workers" treated now? --What happens when "guest workers" defend their rights? --Do "guest worker" programs hurt U.S. workers? --What's all this talk about amnesty? --Haven't we already had an amnesty? --What impact will amnesty have in the United States now? --Won't amnesty cause more problems later on? --11.Why do we jail and deport immigrants? --Who gets deported, and why? --What happens to people who are deported? --What happens to the families of deportees? --What is immigration detention? --Is immigration detention new? --Who is in immigration detention, and where? --How long do people spend in detention? --How bad is detention really? --Thestory of S. --How are families affected by detention? --Is detention necessary? --Who pays for detention, and who profits? --^^12.Can we open our borders? --What do we mean by open borders? --Have any countries actually tried opening their borders? --Does the European Union really have open borders? --Has freedom of movement caused problems in Europe? --Does freedom of movement threaten national identity or culture? --How can we keep criminals and terrorists out without borders? --Is opening the borders part of "free trade"? --How would freedom of movement actually work here? --How would we control citizenship? --What would happen if we opened the borders? --Wouldn't we be flooded with immigrants? --Would our standard of living collapse? --Could freedom of movement really work? --Resources --Suggested readings --Suggested films --Organzations --"Know-your-rights" information for immigrants --Notes --Index. 176 p. ;21 cm.

Book Details

Author

Guskin, Jane.

Place Published

City

New York

Date Published

circa 2007

Publication Subjects

Immigrants--United States. Immigrants--Government policy--United States.

Call No.

JV6465 .G87 2007

ISBN

1583671552 (pbk.), 9781583671559 (pbk.), 1583671560, 9781583671566

LCCN

2007017332

Notes

Bibliography Note: Includes bibliographical references (p. [147]-169) and index.