Courses

    This course will examine the U.S. immigration system through legal and policy perspectives. We will explore the source and scope of congressional power to regulate immigration; the executive branch implementation of immigration legislation, particularly procedures for entry and removal; and the administrative and judicial interpretation of immigration law and review of executive branch action. Close attention will be paid to how admissions and naturalization laws and policies are established and implemented: Who is eligible to become a legal immigrant? How are annual admissions numbers set? How and why are family and employment priorities created? How does the U.S. admit refugees? What laws and policies govern U.S. citizenship? Unauthorized migration will also be examined to understand why some migrants do not use the legal route into the U.S. and what laws and policies the U.S. has in place to deter such unlawful movements. We will analyze the impact of the 1996 immigration legislation and its implementation, with particular attention to detention and removal, and explore the immigration bureaucracy as well as the challenges of immigration law reform. Finally, we will consider immigration law in the national security context. This is an exam course.