Deter, Detain, and Deport: U.S. Immigration Enforcement in Historical Perspective

Undergraduate / Graduate

Often described as a "nation of immigrants," the U.S. has the highest rates of noncitizen detention and deportation at the global level. Confronting this conundrum, this class will analyze the historical development of U.S. immigration enforcement, from the mid-19th century to the present era. The class will begin at the development of federal-level plenary power to control immigration and thus shape the demographic character of the nation-state. Going beyond the letter of the law, we will discuss the role different governmental and nongovernmental actors - ranging from Border Patrol to local police and faith institutions - have played in enhancing and/or contesting immigration policy on the ground. Finally, the class will discuss the "externalization" of immigration enforcement beyond borders to keep migrants from reaching U.S. national territory.