Immigration Outside the Law

In 1975 Texas adopted a law allowing school districts to bar children from public schools if they were in the United States unlawfully. The US Supreme Court responded in 1982 with a landmark decision <em>Plyler v. Doe</em> that kept open the schoolhouse doors allowing these children to get the education that state law would have denied. The Court established a child's constitutional right to attend public elementary and secondary schools regardless of immigration status. With <em>Plyler</em> three questions emerged that have remained central to the national conversation about immigration outside the law: What does it mean to be in the country unlawfully? What is the role of state and local governments in dealing with unauthorized migration? Are unauthorized migrants Americans in waiting? <p/>Today as the United States weighs immigration reform debates over illegal or undocumented immigrants have become more polarized than ever. In <em>Immigration Outside the Law</em> acclaimed immigration law expert Hiroshi Motomura author of the award-winning <em>Americans in Waiting</em> offers a framework for understanding why these debates are so contentious. In a reasoned lucid and careful discussion he explains the history of unauthorized migration the sources of current disagreements and points the way toward durable answers. In his refreshingly fair-minded analysis Motomura explains the complexities of immigration outside the law for students and scholars policy-makers looking for constructive solutions and anyone who cares about this contentious issue.<br>