The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965: Legislating a New America

Along with the civil rights and voting rights acts, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 is one of the most important bills of the civil rights era. The Act's political, legal, and demographic impact continues to be felt, yet its legacy is controversial. The 1965 Act was groundbreaking in eliminating the white America immigration policy in place since 1790, ending Asian exclusion, and limiting discrimination against Eastern European Catholics and Jews. At the same time, the Act discriminated against gay men and lesbians, tied refugee status to Cold War political interests, and shattered traditional patterns of Mexican migration, setting the stage for current immigration politics. Drawing from studies in law, political science, anthropology, and economics, this book will be an essential tool for any scholar or student interested in immigration law.

Foreword Cruz Reynoso; Introduction Gabriel J. Chin and Rose Cuison Villazor; Part I. The Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1965: Ushering in an Era of Racial Equality or Furthering Racial Discrimination?: 1. Were the Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1965 anti-racist? Gabriel J. Chin; 2. African migration to the United States: assigned to the back of the bus Bill Ong Hing; 3. The beginning of the end: the Immigration Act of 1965 and the emergence of the modern US-Mexico border state Kevin R. Johnson; 4. The last preference: refugees and the 1965 Immigration Act Brian Soucek; Part II. The 1965 Immigration Act and Policy of Family Unification: 5. The 1965 Immigration Act: family unification and non-discrimination fifty years later Rose Cuison Villazor; 6. Workers without families: the unintended consequences Rhacel Salazar Parrenas and Cerissa Salazar Parrenas; 7. Sexual deviants need not apply: LGBTQ oppression in the 1965 Immigration Amendments Atticus Lee; Part III. The 1965 Immigration Act and Employment-Based Immigration: 8. Coming to America: the business of trafficked workers Valerie Francisco and Robyn Rodriguez; 9. The impact of 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act on the evolution of temporary guest worker programs, or how the 1965 Act punted on creating a rightful place for Mexican worker migration Leticia M. Saucedo; Part IV. Political and Economic Issues: 10. The 1965 Immigration Act: the demographic and political transformation of Mexicans and Mexican Americans in US border communities Jeannette Money and Kristina Victor; 11. Economic performance of immigrants, following the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 Giovanni Peri.