"Incisive and compelling, reflecting the painful wisdom and knowledge
that Bill Ong Hing has accrued over the course of fifty years..."
--Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow
First book to argue that immigrant and refugee rights are part of the
fight for racial justice; offers a humanitarian approach to reform and
abolition.
Representing non-citizens caught up in what he calls the immigration and
enforcement "meat grinder", Bill Ong Hing witnessed their trauma,
arriving at this conclusion: migrants should have the right to free
movement across borders--and the right to live free of harassment over
immigration status.
He cites examples of racial injustices endemic in immigration law and
enforcement, from historic courtroom cases to the recent treatment of
Haitian migrants. Hing includes histories of Mexican immigration,
African migration and the Asian exclusion era, all of which reveal ICE
abuse and a history of often forgotten racist immigration laws.
While ultimately arguing for the abolishment of ICE, Hing advocates for
change now. With fifty years of law practice and litigation, Hing has
represented non-citizens -- from gang members to asylum seekers fleeing
violence, and from individuals in ICE detention to families at the US
southern border seeking refuge.
Hing maps out major reforms to the immigration system, making an urgent
call for the adoption of a radical, racial justice lens. Readers will
understand the root causes of migration and our country's culpability in
contributing to those causes.
