Overview

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.

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9781541699847

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Reviews

Cohen draws on a wealth of historical evidence to present her dire portrait of America's immigration system, and her commonsense solutions feel both necessary and attainable...[A] trenchant call to action. --Publishers Weekly A timely and unsparing account of how our immigration enforcement regime has 'gone off the rails'. Cohen shows that we had a system we could have built upon that was far less brutal to immigrants and more representative of democratic values. But instead, for political reasons as diverse as 9/11 and the steady beat of xenophobia, we abandoned it. Is there a way forward? In a clear and compelling statement Cohen shows us that our democracy is in danger, what must change, and how to make change happen. An urgent and powerful book. --Janelle Wong, University of Maryland, College Park A fascinating dive into our country's lawless immigration enforcement regime and how it developed. --Alex Nowrasteh, the Cato Institute A concise but unflinching look at the barbaric state of immigration in America...The author is a sharp examiner of the relevant data and research, and she is shrewd enough not to drown in the political quicksand surrounding immigration. However, she doesn't shy away from controversy, exploring the dangers of white nationalism and taking into account the pragmatic reasons to formulate a fair immigration policy that doesn't prostrate itself before communal fear...An even-keeled examination. --Kirkus

A fascinating dive into our country's lawless immigration enforcement regime and how it developed. --Alex Nowrasteh, the Cato Institute A timely and unsparing account of how our immigration enforcement regime has 'gone off the rails'. Cohen shows that we had a system we could have built upon that was far less brutal to immigrants and more representative of democratic values. But instead, for political reasons as diverse as 9/11 and the steady beat of xenophobia, we abandoned it. Is there a way forward? In a clear and compelling statement Cohen shows us that our democracy is in danger, what must change, and how to make change happen. An urgent and powerful book. --Janelle Wong, University of Maryland, College Park Cohen draws on a wealth of historical evidence to present her dire portrait of America's immigration system, and her commonsense solutions feel both necessary and attainable...[A] trenchant call to action. --Publishers Weekly A concise but unflinching look at the barbaric state of immigration in America...The author is a sharp examiner of the relevant data and research, and she is shrewd enough not to drown in the political quicksand surrounding immigration. However, she doesn't shy away from controversy, exploring the dangers of white nationalism and taking into account the pragmatic reasons to formulate a fair immigration policy that doesn't prostrate itself before communal fear...An even-keeled examination. --Kirkus

Author Information

Elizabeth F. Cohen is a professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. The author of The Political Value of Time, she lives in New York City.

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