Conflicting Signals: Understanding US Immigration Reform Through the Evolution of US Immigration Law

Catalan Journal of Public Law, Vol. 40, p. 145, 2010

Widener Law School Legal Studies Research Paper No. 10-18

31 Pages Posted: 24 Jun 2010

See all articles by Jill E. Family

Jill E. Family

Widener University - Commonwealth Law School

Date Written: June 23, 2010

Abstract

This essay, published in the Revista catalana de dret public (Catalan Journal of Public Law), highlights the conflicting signals sent throughout the history of US immigration law. One consistent feature of the development of US immigration law is that it has exhibited signs of welcome and of tight control. Understanding this conflicted narrative helps to explain modern debates about immigration reform in the United States. The conflicting signals are evident in debates about the effectiveness of the system designed to select immigrants (including its enforcement features) and in debates over the future of the immigration adjudication system. Opposing views in these debates reflect the historical signals of welcome and of tight control.

Keywords: immigration, judicial review, administrative adjudication, executive power, administrative law, separation of powers, immigration history, immigration politics

JEL Classification: K23, K39

Suggested Citation

Family, Jill E., Conflicting Signals: Understanding US Immigration Reform Through the Evolution of US Immigration Law (June 23, 2010). Catalan Journal of Public Law, Vol. 40, p. 145, 2010, Widener Law School Legal Studies Research Paper No. 10-18, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1629170

Jill E. Family (Contact Author)

Widener University - Commonwealth Law School ( email )

3800 Vartan Way
Harrisburg, PA 17110-9380
United States
717-541-3911 (Phone)

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