Humanizing Immigration

Immigrant and refugee rights belong within the broader struggle for racial justice, and this book makes that case while offering a humanitarian path to reform and, ultimately, the abolition of ICE. Drawing on decades of representing non-citizens, Bill Ong Hing describes the trauma he saw firsthand as people moved through the machinery of immigration enforcement. His conclusion is that migrants should be free to cross borders and should be able to live without harassment because of their immigration status.

Hing documents racial injustice built into immigration law and enforcement, from landmark court cases to the recent treatment of Haitian migrants. He traces the histories of Mexican migration, African migration and the Asian exclusion era, showing how ICE abuses connect to racist immigration laws that are often forgotten.

His experience spans more than fifty years of legal practice and litigation. His clients have included gang members, asylum seekers fleeing violence, people held in ICE detention, and families seeking refuge at the southern US border. Alongside his call for abolition, Hing lays out concrete reforms to the immigration system that can be pursued now. He also explains the root causes of migration and the role the United States has played in producing them.