Synopses & Reviews
Immigration is among the most prominent, enduring, and contentious features of our globalized world.
Rights, Deportation, and Detention in the Age of Immigration Control focuses on what is arguably the most contested, dynamic, and evolving set of immigration policiesimmigration controlby analyzing state efforts to deter so-called "unwanted" immigration. It addresses three of the most salient aspects of immigration control: the denial of rights to non-citizens, their physical removal and exclusion from the polity through deportation, and their deprivation of liberty and freedom of movement in immigration detention.
In examining what he refers to as the machinery of immigration control, Tom Wong argues that increased international migration has broadly reaffirmed and entrenched the sovereign right of states to keep out the immigrant other. This has led to a tightening of citizenship and a narrowing of the boundaries of political and societal inclusionraising, in turn, concerns about the human rights of non-citizens, particularly today when migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees are increasingly criminalized, detained, and deported with minimal regard for their basic rights. Consequently, the book also explores the human rights implications of immigration control. In addition to answering the question of why states do what they do, the book describes contemporary trends in immigration control, analyzes the determinants of these trends, and examines whether efforts to deter unwanted immigration are actually working.
Review
"Rights, Deportation, and Detention in the Age of Immigration Control is a significant contribution to our understanding of an often overlooked dimension of immigration control in wealthy western democraciesand to our understanding of the impact of those enforcement mechanisms on the human rights of migrants."Jeannette Money, Department of Political Science, University of California, Davis
Review
"In this book Tom Wong moves the field of immigration studies forward by opening up an area that has heretofore been considered too difficult to grapple with in a meaningful way. The book will be an important contribution to the field."Terri Givens, Government Department, University of Texas, Austin
Synopsis
Immigration is among the most prominent, enduring, and contentious features of our globalized world. Yet, there is little systematic, cross-national research on why countries "do what they do" when it comes to their immigration policies. Rights, Deportation, and Detention in the Age of Immigration Control addresses this gap by examining what are arguably the most contested and dynamic immigration policies--immigration control--across 25 immigrant-receiving countries, including the U.S. and most of the European Union. The book addresses head on three of the most salient aspects of immigration control: the denial of rights to non-citizens, their physical removal and exclusion from the polity through deportation, and their deprivation of liberty and freedom of movement in immigration detention.
In addition to answering the question of why states do what they do, the book describes contemporary trends in what Tom K. Wong refers to as the machinery of immigration control, analyzes the determinants of these trends using a combination of quantitative analysis and fieldwork, and explores whether efforts to deter unwanted immigration are actually working.
About the Author
Tom K. Wong is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego.