Description

Immigration is one of the most controversial topics of the decade. Citizens and pundits from across the political spectrum argue for major and disparate changes to American immigration law. Yet few know what American immigration law actually is and how it functions.

Everyday Law for Immigrants is an ideal guide for U.S. citizens who want a better understanding of our immigration laws as well as for migrants who make the United States their home. Romero deftly and comprehensively explains the basic challenges immigrants and foreign nationals face not only within formal immigration policy but also within American domestic law generally, including rules promulgated by federal, state, and local entities that affect noncitizens. A concise and accessible primer for interested citizens, noncitizens, and their advocates, this book provides a bird’s eye view of U.S. immigration history, practice, and procedure, and constructively addresses the many legal issues in areas such as education, housing, and employment that affect foreigners who reside here. It includes easy-to-understand examples and an extensive appendix of print and Internet resources for further help.

• Provides a broad overview of U.S. immigration law and procedure, as well as the state, federal, and local laws that affect immigrants’ lives
• Written with the nonlawyer in mind
• Has an extensive bibliography of both print and Internet resources for future research and reference
• Unlike many other scholarly treatments of the subject, this book is short and concise, covering only the most important developments in the law

Author Info

A native of the Philippines, Victor C. Romero is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (University Park) and the Maureen B. Cavanaugh Distinguished Faculty Scholar at The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law. He is author most recently of Alienated: Immigrant Rights, the Constitution, and Equality in America (NYU Press 2005).

Reviews

"This book succeeds in clarifying the convoluted structure of U. S. immigration law. Additionally, it provides a concise, easy-to-read overview of the basics of U. S. immigration procedure. Recommended.”
—CHOICE

“This book has the rare combination of being both brief and well-stocked with good information on the subject of immigration law. The writing is accessible for non-lawyers, very nicely focused, and the book answers the most important questions about current immigration law.”
—Ronald Schmidt, Sr., Professor of Political Science at California State University, Long Beach, and author of Language Policy and Identity Politics in the United States

“A highly respected immigration law scholar has managed to take a hopelessly convoluted set of laws and policies and explain them in plain English without being simplistic or one sided. Romero’s book will be invaluable for anyone who is personally caught up in the U.S. immigration process and for anyone else who just wants a basic understanding of this volatile subject.”
—Stephen H. Legomsky, Washington University School of Law