Immigration Matters: Movements, Visions, and Strategies for a Progressive Future

by Ruth Milkman (Editor)

A provocative, strategic plan for a humane immigration system from the nation's leading immigration scholars and activists

During the past decade, right-wing nativists have stoked popular hostility to the nation's foreign-born population, forcing the immigrant rights movement into a defensive posture. In the Trump years, preoccupied with each crisis upon crisis, advocates had few opportunities to consider questions of long-term policy or future strategy. Now is the time for a reset.

Immigration Matters offers a new, actionable vision for immigration policy. It brings together key movement leaders and academics in the immigration space to share cutting-edge approaches to the question of America's borders--who should be allowed in, and who, if anyone, should be kept out. The book delves into topics including new ways to frame immigration issues, fresh thinking on key aspects of policy, challenges of integration, workers' rights, family re-unification, legalization, paths to citizenship, and humane enforcement.

The perfect handbook for immigration activists, scholars, policy makers, and anyone who cares about one of the most contentious issues of our age, Immigration Matters makes accessible an immigration policy that both remediates the harm done to immigrant workers and communities under Trump and advances a bold new vision for the future.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published April 27, 2021

Reviews

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was published in 2021 at the end of Trump 1.0 which makes it depressing to read in 2025. However there is a lot of good analysis and ideas here, and I especially got a lot out of the chapters on historical perspectives and experiences of organizers in the immigrant rights, labor, and racial and economic justice movements. There were some lame liberal takes, particularly from the government-connected policy-wonk people (particularly a GMU professor and a former Obama advisor - the exception was Pramila Jayapal's contribution, which I found a helpful perspective on pursuing progressive policy from within the policy-maker space.) But the last chapter by Deepak Bhargava was excellent at synthesizing the various contributions to the volume. He outlined a bold strategy based on building a united front of anti-nativism from the center to the left, prioritizing non-reformist reforms that build power through policy feedback loops, forcing the Overton window left, and firmly embedding the pro-immigrant movement within a class-concious movement for racial and economic justice. I feel duly inspired.

[Viral · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid book covering the history of immigration in the U.S., with a series of essays grappling with what leftists and progressives should do about protecting the rights of immigrants and combating nativism within the U.S. Some of the plans felt a bit weak and not as thorough or radical as I'd prefer.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good thinking in this collection, covering not only some history of immigration policy in the US, but different progressive visions of post-Trump immigration policy possibilities. Inspiring, practical, wide-ranging.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm impressed with how THOROUGH this book is. Variety of perspectives and locations covered. This isn't a topic I knew much about before reading this book and I thought it was helpful.

(Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway.)

[Mark Rimelspach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Progressive dive into immigration including the USA history and possible changes to improve the current system.