Undecided Nation

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xx

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Tony Payan

   Pages 1-19

3. The Politics Behind the Gridlock

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 21-21

      PDF

   2. The Congressional Dynamics of Immigration Reform

      • Daniel J. Tichenor

      Pages 23-48

   3. Latino Issue Priorities and Political Behavior Across US Contexts

      • Ali A. Valenzuela, Sarah K. Stein

      Pages 49-78

   4. Immigration Policy Versus Immigration Politics: Latinos and the Reform Debate

      • David L. Leal

      Pages 79-95

4. Local Responses to Federal Paralysis

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 97-97

      PDF

   2. Immigration Policy and Partisan Politics in the State Legislatures: 2010–2012

      • Mark P. Jones, Benjamin Chou

      Pages 99-119

   3. The Immigration Debate in Texas

      • Tony Payan

      Pages 121-137

   4. US Immigration Policy in the Twenty-First Century, with Special Reference to Education: Examining Crosscurrents of Nativist and Accommodationist Policymaking

      • Michael A. Olivas

      Pages 139-159

5. The Fallout and Costs of Political Gridlock

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 161-161

      PDF

   2. The Costs and Benefits of Immigration Enforcement

      • Raúl Hinojosa–Ojeda

      Pages 163-187

   3. Immigrants in the US Labor Market

      • Pia M. Orrenius, Madeline Zavodny

      Pages 189-207

   4. Workers, Families, and Immigration Policies

      • Leisy J. Abrego, Shannon Gleeson

      Pages 209-228

   5. US Children with Parents in Deportation Proceedings

      • Randy Capps, Ajay Chaudry, Juan Manuel Pedroza, Rosa Maria Castañeda, Robert Santos, Molly M. Scott

      Pages 229-250

6. Resolving the Immigration Crisis

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 251-251

      PDF

   2. Security and Immigration Policy: An Analytical Framework for Reform

      • Robbie J. Totten

      Pages 253-270

   3. Ctrl + Alt + Del: Rebooting Immigration Policies Through Socio-technical Change

      • Rodrigo Nieto–Gómez

      Pages 271-291

   4. US Immigration, Demography, and Citizenship in a Digital Age

      • Jason Ackleson

      Pages 293-311

   5. The Path to US Immigration Reform

      • Susan F. Martin

      Pages 313-337

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.

• Border security
• Demographics
• Immigration Reform
• Policy
• Public Opinion

• Director, Mexico Center, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice Universtiy, Houston, USA

  Tony Payan

• Baker Institute, Rice University, Houston, USA

  Erika de la Garza

Policies and ethics