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Deciding To Cross: The Norms And Economics Of Unauthorized Migration, Emily Ryo
Deciding To Cross: The Norms And Economics Of Unauthorized Migration, Emily Ryo
Emily Ryo
Why are there so many unauthorized migrants in the United States? Using unique survey data collected in Mexico through the Mexican Migration Project, I develop and test a new decisionmaking model of unauthorized labor migration. The new model considers the economic motivations of prospective migrants, as well as their beliefs, attitudes, and social norms regarding U.S. immigration law and legal authorities. My findings show that perceptions of certainty of apprehension and severity of punishment are not significant determinants of the intent to migrate illegally; however, perceptions of availability of Mexican jobs and the dangers of border crossing are significant determinants …
The Lost Sanctuary: Examining Sex Trafficking Through The Lens Of United States V. Ah Sou, M. Margaret Mckeown, Emily Ryo
The Lost Sanctuary: Examining Sex Trafficking Through The Lens Of United States V. Ah Sou, M. Margaret Mckeown, Emily Ryo
Emily Ryo
Drawing upon original court records and other previously-unexamined archival materials, this article uncovers the story of one of the earliest reported and documented cases of sex trafficking in American history, United States v. Ah Sou, 138 F. 775 (9th Cir. 1905). Through Ah Sou’s legal challenge, we investigate the development of international human rights norms relevant to sex trafficking and the domestication of those norms in U.S. law. We then examine in detail the remedies presently available for sex trafficking victims and apply those remedies retrospectively to Ah Sou’s case. We conclude that despite the development of the law—both in …
Through The Back Door: Applying Theories Of Legal Compliance To Illegal Immigration During The Chinese Exclusion Era, Emily Ryo
Emily Ryo
This article applies theories of legal compliance to analyze the making of this country’s first “illegal immigrants”—Chinese laborers who crossed the U.S.-Canadian and U.S.-Mexican borders in defiance of the Chinese exclusion laws (1882–1943). Drawing upon a variety of sources, including unpublished government records, I explore the ways in which Chinese laborers gained surreptitious entry into the United States during this period and ask, what explains their mass noncompliance? I suggest that while an instrumental perspective is useful for understanding these border crossings, it overlooks other important determinants of noncompliance: normative values and opportunity structures. Specifically, the exclusion laws were widely …