Handcuffs and Chain Link (Hardcover)

Hardcover. Handcuffs and Chain Link enters the immigration debate by addressing one of its most controversial aspects: the criminalisation both of extralegal immigration to the United States and of immigrants themselves in popular and political discourse. Looking at the factors that led up to decriminalisation, Benjamin Gonzalez OBrien points to the alternative approach of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and how its ultimate demise served to negatively reinforce the fictitious association of extralegal immigrants with criminality.Crucial to Gonzalez OBriens account thus is the concept of the critical policy failurea piece of legislation that attempts a radically different approach to a major issue but has shortcomings that ultimately further entrench the approach it was designed to supplant. The IRCA was just such a piece of legislation. It highlighted the contributions of the undocumented and offered amnesty to some while attempting to stem the flow of extralegal immigration by holding employers accountable for hiring the undocumented. The failure of this effort at decriminalisation prompted a return to decriminalisation with a vengeance, leading to the stalemate on immigration policy that persists to this day. The failure of this effort at decriminalization prompted a return to criminalization with a vengeance, leading to the stalemate on immigration policy that persists to this day. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…