David W. Haines

Displaced Persons and the Reshaping of American Immigration after World War IItraces the journey of U.S. policy toward displaced persons (DPs) in post-war Europe, examining how America transformed from a nation resistant to accepting refugees to one that ultimately created a groundbreaking resettlement program. Despite initial public apathy and political resistance, America eventually welcomed roughly 400,000 refugees through a nationwide program, reopening the gates of U.S. immigration, which had been largely shuttered since the 1920s. This book meticulously examines the factors that drove this remarkable shift: the persistent advocacy of humanitarian champions, the recognition of DPs' potential contributions as workers and community members, and crucially, President Harry Truman's leadership and commitment to human dignity. Through an exploration of legislative battles, implementation challenges, and varying state and local responses, the narrative reveals how America's refugee policy was shaped by competing interests and perspectives. The author provides a balanced understanding of how public policy evolves through denial, delay, and eventual action. It is an instructive story of the makings, workings, and effects of American public policy and one that provides lessons for the advances and reversals of U.S. efforts on behalf of refugees in more recent years. Essential reading for students of American history, immigration policy, and humanitarian affairs, this book offers valuable insights into the historical precedents of today's refugee debates and the complex interplay between American ideals and practices.

Displaced Persons and the Reshaping of American Immigration after World War IItraces the journey of U.S. policy toward displaced persons (DPs) in post-war Europe, examining how America transformed from a nation resistant to accepting refugees to one that ultimately created a groundbreaking resettlement program. Despite initial public apathy and political resistance, America eventually welcomed roughly 400,000 refugees through a nationwide program, reopening the gates of U.S. immigration, which had been largely shuttered since the 1920s. This book meticulously examines the factors that drove this remarkable shift: the persistent advocacy of humanitarian champions, the recognition of DPs' potential contributions as workers and community members, and crucially, President Harry Truman's leadership and commitment to human dignity. Through an exploration of legislative battles, implementation challenges, and varying state and local responses, the narrative reveals how America's refugee policy was shaped by competing interests and perspectives. The author provides a balanced understanding of how public policy evolves through denial, delay, and eventual action. It is an instructive story of the makings, workings, and effects of American public policy and one that provides lessons for the advances and reversals of U.S. efforts on behalf of refugees in more recent years. Essential reading for students of American history, immigration policy, and humanitarian affairs, this book offers valuable insights into the historical precedents of today's refugee debates and the complex interplay between American ideals and practices.

ChorSwang Ngin radically shifts the asylum-seeking narrative by focusing on rarely heard stories of persecution and escape from China and southeast Asia. Identities on Trial in the United States weaves together the cases of a tortured student from a Myanmar prison, an apostate of Islam, several victims of ethnic and sexual violence from Indonesia, and the escape of men and women from China’s draconian one-child policy, among others. Joann Yeh, an immigration attorney and contributor to this work, examines asylum seeking in a Mandarin-speaking Californian community and discuss the failure of the United States' quasi-judicial immigration system, highlighting "asylum lawfare" in courtroom dramas and arguing for an anthropological advantage in asylum preparation. This book is an essential text for policy makers, students, lawyers, activists, and those engaged with migration studies seeking a more just asylum outcome.

ChorSwang Ngin radically shifts the asylum seeking narrative by focusing on rarely heard stories of persecution and escape from China and Southeast Asia. Identities on Trial in the United States weaves together the cases of a tortured student from a Myanmar prison, an apostate from Islam, several victims of ethnic and sexual violence from Indonesia, and men and women escaping China’s draconian One-Child Policy and prohibition of Falun Gong practice, among others. Joann Yeh, an immigration attorney, co-authored three chapters to examine asylum seeking in a Mandarin-speaking Californian community and discuss the failure of the United States quasi-judicial immigration system, highlighting the “asylum lawfare” in courtroom drama, and to argue for an “anthropological advantage” in asylum preparation. This book is essential text for policy makers, students, lawyers, activists, and those engaged with migration studies seeking a more just asylum outcome.

Immigration Structures and Immigrant Lives provides a concise, comprehensive, interdisciplinary introduction to United States immigration and immigrants. The book is presented in two parts. Part I addresses the history, structure, dynamics, and politics of United States immigration from colonial times to the present. Part II focuses on the lives of immigrants with separate chapters examining the immigrant struggle simply to live, the challenges and opportunities of work in America, the different beliefs and commitments that fortify immigrants in their new lives, and the many different ways in which immigrants come to belong in the United States. The introduction and epilogue bracket the United States experience within a broader consideration of human mobility and current global migration trends and issues. Tables, case examples, and a timeline help illuminate both the general shape of immigration and the details of immigrant life. This text is accompanied by an ancillary package of digital tables and illustrations in order to enhance the learning experience of both the instructors and students.

Immigration Structures and Immigrant Lives provides a concise, comprehensive, interdisciplinary introduction to United States immigration and immigrants. The book is presented in two parts. Part I addresses the history, structure, dynamics, and politics of United States immigration from colonial times to the present. Part II focuses on the lives of immigrants with separate chapters examining the immigrant struggle simply to live, the challenges and opportunities of work in America, the different beliefs and commitments that fortify immigrants in their new lives, and the many different ways in which immigrants come to belong in the United States. The introduction and epilogue bracket the United States experience within a broader consideration of human mobility and current global migration trends and issues. Tables, case examples, and a timeline help illuminate both the general shape of immigration and the details of immigrant life. This text is accompanied by an ancillary package of digital tables and illustrations in order to enhance the learning experience of both the instructors and students.

At the turn of the century, America is both retrenching and expanding, becoming more restrictive and more expansive, more utilitarian and, more value- and religion-oriented. As was true a century ago, the flow of these changes is very much a story of immigrants, their lives in America, and the changing lives of those they join. This book examines the interaction of immigrants and the native-born in nine widely varying locales, including Richmond, VA, St. Louis, West Palm Beach, FL, Tacoma, WA, Garden City, KS, Dallas, Phoenix, San Francisco, and New York City.The volume considers a broad range of immigrants from well-educated and economically successful Chinese and Indians, to legally recognized refugees, who often have more difficulty accommodating to U.S. society, to illegal immigrants, who are being Americanized to a shadow world of limited opportunity and limited protection. Through insight into the interactions between immigrants and native-born at the local level, the authors collectively sketch an America that is changing but also re-creating its past.

Few issues have provoked as much controversy over the last decade as illegal immigration. While some argue for the need to seal America's borders and withdraw all forms of social and governmental support for illegal migrants and their children, others argue for humanitarian treatment—including legalization—for people who fill widely acknowledged needs in American industry and agriculture and have left home-country situations of economic hardship or political persecution. The study of illegal immigration necessarily confronts a broad range of migrants—from the familiar border crossers to those who enter illegally and overstay their visas, to the many unrecognized refugees who enter the country to seek protection under U.S. asylum law. The subject also demands attention to American society's responses to these newcomers—responses that often focus on limited elements of a complex issue.A comprehensive, up-to-date review of this volatile subject, this book provides an accessible, balanced introduction to the subject. Covering the full range of illegal immigrants from Mexican border crossers to Central American refugees, illegal Europeans, and smuggled Chinese, the book considers the kind of work the migrants do and the public response to them. The work is divided into four parts: Concepts, Policies, and Numbers; The Migrants and Their Work; The Responses; and Illegal Immigration in Perspective.

This text introduces students to the main groups of refugees in America. Divided into political, sociological, anthropological, and historical approaches, the book discusses the peoples themselves as well as their impact on American society. Refugees are a special category of people who are admitted to this country for humanitarian reasons, have suffered greatly before getting here, and are resettled through an impressive combination of public and private resources. This book traces each group through the process and assesses their future prospects.

This volume introduces the reader to an important set of newcomers to America. Two overview chapters introduce the U.S. refugee program and the general patterns in resettlement and adaptation. The chapters cover the origins of the program, its development through successive waves of refugees and layers of legislation, the life experiences that refugees bring with them, the problems they must confront, and the ways they rebuild their lives. The heart of the book, however, is Part II, which provides chapters on the largest groups of refugees who have resettled since World War II. Each chapter examines the cultural and social context from which the refugees came, traces their initial and long-term encounters with American society, and assesses their future prospects.The refugee groups covered include Afghans, ethnic Chinese from Southeast Asia, Cubans, Eastern European refugees, Ethiopians and Eritreans, Haitians, Hmong, Iranians, Khmer, Lao, Soviet Jews, and Vietnamese. The final section of the book provides additional comparative documentation on the refugee experience. Separate chapters review the major federal agency statistics, examine public attitudes toward refugees, and outline the broader global refugee problem. The book concludes with a review of film documentaries on refugee adaptation and an annotated bibliography introducing the extensive information now available on refugees in the United States.

"Well researched and clearly written, for the student and also for the citizen who seeks heightened awareness of refugee issues." Reference Books Bulletin