Visa Overstays, Border Crossers and Immigrant Legality in America

• In Event: 2384 - Section on International Migration Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 12. Legality and Irregular Migration

Abstract

As questions about the undocumented persist, immigration and criminal law increasingly intersect with each other. This socio-legal intersection has led to the criminalization of the undocumented, a massive rise in deportation and a continued hardening of policy. Divided by those who entered without inspection (EWI) and those who overstayed their visas, undocumented immigrants live in the shadows with no clear ways to achieve legality. Risking deportation or banishment from their families, being undocumented is a treacherous status to occupy. Mindful of this, the current work sheds light on the inconsistencies within immigration law. Drawing on economic and non-economic push and pull factors driving migration. This essay describes the difficult options available to undocumented immigrants in their quest for basic civil rights and equality under the law.

Author

• Denise N. Obinna, Mount St Mary's University