Law Commons^™

National Security And Immigration Policy: Reclaiming Terms, Measuring Success, And Setting Priorities, Margaret D. Stock

ExpressO

This paper offers a three-pronged framework for evaluating immigration-related security measures and tactics. First, does the measure or strategy relate to a legitimate security goal? Second, what does the measure propose to accomplish, will it be successful in achieving that end, and how can its success (or failure) be assessed? Third, is the measure worth the cost both in resources and opportunities foregone? The paper goes on to evaluate the US Government's recent implementation of the US-VISIT program against this framework.

Delegating Democracy - The Siphoning Of Immigration Power From Congress To The States And Administrative Agencies, And The Need For A New Approach.", Oleg S. Kobelev

ExpressO

The paper's central thesis is that a doctrine of non-delegation in conjunction with the plenary power of Congress in the area of immigration law makes it possible for Congress to escape its democratic responsibilities to the voters by allowing it to shove difficult or unpopular decisions to the administrative agencies with little oversight or accountability to the public. This paper proposes a new constitutional approach to the delegation theory in the context of immigration - a theory of explicit delegation.

Canons, The Plenary Power Doctrine And Immigration Law, Brian G. Slocum

ExpressO

There is a fundamental dichotomy in immigration law. On one hand, courts have consistently maintained that Congress has “plenary power” over immigration and reject most constitutional challenges on that basis. On the other hand, courts frequently use canons of statutory construction in an aggressive fashion to help interpret immigration statutes in favor of aliens. Immigration scholars have almost exclusively focused on the plenary power doctrine. They have either ignored the important role that canons have played in immigration law or have viewed canons as serving only a temporary and marginally legitimate role as substitutes for the lack of constitutional rights …

The Day Laborer Debate: Small Town, U.S.A. Takes On Federal Immigration Law Regarding Undocumented Workers, Margaret B. Hobbins

ExpressO

Herndon, Virginia is the latest example of small town immigration issues exploding into the national debate on illegal immigration. This four-square mile town, population 22,000, was propelled into the national spotlight after a dramatic public reaction to Mayor Michael O’Reilly’s proposal to construct a hiring site for day laborers. Three months before the center even opened its doors, Herndon and Fairfax County faced a law suit challenging the legality of funding a day labor center that would inevitably extend its services to undocumented immigrants.

Small towns, adjusting to significant increases in the immigrant worker population, have become a new battlefield …

Any Place For Ethnicity? The Liberal State And Immigration, David Abraham

ExpressO

When it comes to immigration, almost all liberal states are faced with the contradiction between their universalist principles and the real affinities they feel for ethnic kinsmen. This review essay (4000 words) addresses the different ways a number of liberal democracies have handled this dilemma.