This book focuses on the migration of undocumented minors arriving recently to the United States and the European Union, flows that are often labeled 'undocumented', 'illegal', or 'irregular' and due to their sudden increase, they have been described in the media, policy circles, and scholarly work as a 'surge' or a 'crisis'. Leading scholars examine the intricacies of the contexts that these minors encounter in the localities where they arrive, including the legal and ethical frameworks for protecting unaccompanied minors, governmental decisions about the 'best interests' of the children, these minors' expressions of their own best interests or agency as they navigate immigration and social service systems, conditions in detention centers, and the health and social service needs in receiving communities. Though definitions and techniques for counting unaccompanied migrant minors differ between the U.S. and the EU, this book underscores the immigrant minors' common vulnerabilities and strategies they adopt to protect themselves and improve their circumstances. At the same time, contributors to the volume highlight common challenges that both European and U.S. governments face as they develop policy strategies and legal mechanisms to attempt to balance the best interests of these children with national interests of the countries in which they settle. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

This volume focuses on recent experiences of return migration to Mexico and Central America from the United States. For most of the twentieth century, return migration to the US was a normal part of the migration process from Mexico and Central America, typically resulting in the eventual permanent settlement of migrants in the US. In recent years, however, such migration has become involuntary, as a growing proportion of return migration is taking place through formal orders of deportation. This book discusses return migration to Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, addressing different reasons for return, whether voluntary or involuntary, and highlighting the unique challenges faced by returnees to each region. Particular emphasis is placed on the lack of government and institutional policies in place for returning migrants who wish to attain work, training, or shelter in their home countries. Finally, the authors take a look at the phenomenon of migrants who can never return because they have disappeared during the migration process. Through its multinational focus, diverse thematic outlook, and use of ethnographic and survey methods, this volume provides an original contribution to the topic of return migration and broadens the scope of the literature currently available. As such, this book will be important to scholars and students interested in immigration policy and Latin America as well as policy makers and activists.

According to media reports, Latin America is one of the most violent regions in the world - a distinction it held throughout the twentieth century. The authors of Violence and Crime in Latin America contend that perceptions and representations of violence and crime directly impact such behaviors, creating profound consequences for the political and social fabric of Latin American nations. Written by distinguished scholars of Latin American history, sociology, anthropology, and political science, the essays in this volume range from Mexico and Argentina to Colombia and Brazil in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, addressing such issues as extralegal violence in Mexico, the myth of indigenous criminality in Guatemala, and governments' selective blindness to violent crime in Brazil and Jamaica. The authors in this collection examine not only the social construction and political visibility of violence and crime in Latin America, but the justifications for them as well. Analytically and historically, these essays show how Latin American citizens have sanctioned criminal and violent practices and incorporated them into social relations, everyday practices, and institutional settings. At the same time, the authors explore the power struggles that inform distinctions between illegitimate versus legitimate violence. Violence and Crime in Latin America makes a substantive contribution to understanding a key problem facing Latin America today. In its historical depth and ethnographic reach, this original and thought-provoking volume enhances our understanding of crime and violence throughout the Western Hemisphere.

The Latina/o population in the United States has become the largest minority group in the nation. Latinas/os are a mosaic of people, representing different nationalities and religions as well as different levels of education and income. This edited volume uses a multidisciplinary approach to document how Latinas and Latinos have changed and continue to change the face of America. It also includes critical methodological and theoretical information related to the study of the Latino/a population in the United States.

The Latina/o population in the United States has become the largest minority group in the nation. Latinas/os are a mosaic of people, representing different nationalities and religions as well as different levels of education and income. This edited volume uses a multidisciplinary approach to document how Latinas and Latinos have changed and continue to change the face of America. It also includes critical methodological and theoretical information related to the study of the Latino/a population in the United States.

This report, the "Agenda for Social Justice: Solutions 2012," is designed to broadly inform our readers about some of the nation's most pressing social problems and to propose policy responses to those problems. Our audience includes social science scholars, teachers, and students; social activists; journalists, policymakers; elected officials; and of course the public-at-large. In short, this book is our attempt to inform and contribute to the ongoing public discourse about the nature and amelioration of some of our society's social problems. The Agenda for Social Justice: Solutions 2012 contains eleven chapters, each contributed by outstanding scholars in their respective areas, and each chapter addresses a specific social problem facing the U.S. today. The authors are professional researchers, activists, and/or policy professionals, and the goal of the text is to present cutting-edge academic knowledge in jargon-free language, both in defining a social problem and in suggesting policy responses that would work. Each piece can certainly stand on its own, and will certainly be informative in itself, and each chapter follows a definite format, and that the content is divided into three major sections: the first defining the social problem, the second providing evidence available to outline the state of affairs, and third offering concrete suggestions for the types of policies that would be effective in ameliorating these problems. The chapters in this book cover a wide range of concrete issues facing our society today, including issues of immigration, health, inequality, appropriation of public funds, income security, racial diversity, and social welfare. These are certainly among the pressing issues and discussions that one encounters in the news media and other areas of social discourse. The book is designed with short chapters, so that readers can devour the content, and then take these arguments to their academic work (whether teaching or scholarship) and the ideas into action in the world, ultimately creating a more just society. In all, it contains 11 chapters written by SSSP members, covering a variety of social problems covering a variety of pressing social problems, as follows: -Elizabeth J. Clifford, Susan C. Pearce, and Reena Tandon: Challenges Facing Foreign-Born women. -Amitai Etzioni: Regulatory Capture and Campaign Reform. -Robert Grantham: Inner-City Social Problems: -Cedric Herring: Diversity in America. -Tamara G.J. Leech and Devon Hensel: Reproductive Health of Black Women. -Jason Smith, Preston Rhea, and Sascha Meinrath: Promoting Equality in the Digital Sphere. -Cecilia Menjivar: U.S. Immigration Reform. -Carolyn Cummings Perrucci and Robert Perrucci: Jobs for America. -Frances Fox Piven: Inequality and Social Welfare. -John N. Robinson III and Katie Kerstetter: Affordable Housing. -Chris Wellin and Brooke Hollister: Economic Security for Older Americans.

"This is a richly-detailed ethnographic account that gives us insight into the complex nature of social networks of recently-arrived Salvadoran immigrants. Challenging romanticized notions of immigrant solidarity, Fragmented Ties reveals the problems of obtaining help from relatives and friends with few resources to share. A valuable contribution that advances our understanding of the immigrant experience."--Nancy Foner, editor of "New Immigrants in New York

"Menjivar painstakingly describes the 'downside' of immigrant networks. Although there are exceptions in early accounts of the Chicago School of Sociology, nothing similar exists for recent migrants. It is a polished integration of ethnographic research and imagination, not a description of a localized phenomenon. For that reason, this book has significant implications for sociological analysis and it will be read extensively. . . I can imagine it used not only for further exploration of issues of interest to specialists, but also as a tool to instruct students and the wider public about the details of immigrant adaptation."--Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, Princeton University Department of Sociology and Office of Population Research

"Framented Ties provides a nuanced and critical analysis of the complexity of immigrant social networks. . . .This astute study of the underside of networks -- and of their differentiation by gender, generation, and social class -- is a gem of an ethnography that will challenge conventional wisdom on the subject. . . .It is an illuminating look at a significant population -- the Salvadorans -- that has almost imperceptibly become one of the largest Latin American groups in the United States."--Ruben G.Rumbaut, co-author of "Immigrant America: A Portrait

"This is the first book on Salvadorans living and working in California, and it is a treasure. Based on meticulously collected research materials, this ethnography offers one of the most compelling and complex analyses of social networks. Revealing the fluid nature of social networks and the ways in which the intersections of generation, gender and class conspire to both help and hinder Salvadorans' opportunities in the United States, Cecilia Menjivar's book promises to make lasting contribution to the way we think about immigration." --Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, author of "Domestica

Drawing on revealing, in-depth interviews, Cecilia Menjivar investigates the role that violence plays in the lives of Ladina women in eastern Guatemala, a little-visited and little-studied region. While much has been written on the subject of political violence in Guatemala, Menjivar turns to a different form of suffering - the violence embedded in institutions and in everyday life so familiar and routine that it is often not recognized as such. Rather than painting Guatemala (or even Latin America) as having a cultural propensity for normalizing and accepting violence, Menjivar aims to develop an approach to examining structures of violence - profound inequality, exploitation and poverty, and gender ideologies that position women in vulnerable situations - grounded in women's experiences. In this way, her study provides a glimpse into the root causes of the increasing wave of feminicide in Guatemala, as well as in other Latin American countries, and offers observations relevant for understanding violence against women around the world today.

Drawing on revealing, in-depth interviews, Cecilia Menjivar investigates the role that violence plays in the lives of Ladina women in eastern Guatemala, a little-visited and little-studied region. While much has been written on the subject of political violence in Guatemala, Menjivar turns to a different form of suffering - the violence embedded in institutions and in everyday life so familiar and routine that it is often not recognized as such. Rather than painting Guatemala (or even Latin America) as having a cultural propensity for normalizing and accepting violence, Menjivar aims to develop an approach to examining structures of violence - profound inequality, exploitation and poverty, and gender ideologies that position women in vulnerable situations - grounded in women's experiences. In this way, her study provides a glimpse into the root causes of the increasing wave of feminicide in Guatemala, as well as in other Latin American countries, and offers observations relevant for understanding violence against women around the world today.

The objective of The Oxford Handbook of Migration Crises is to deconstruct, question, and redefine through a critical lens what is commonly understood as "migration crises." The volume covers a wide range of historical, economic, social, political, and environmental conditions that generate migration crises around the globe. At the same time, it illuminates how the media and public officials play a major role in framing migratory flows as crises. The volume brings together an exceptional group of scholars from around the world to critically examine migration crises and to revisit the notion of crisis through the context in which permanent and non-permanent migration flows occur. The Oxford Handbook of Migration Crises offers an understanding of individuals in societies, socio-economic structures, and group processes. Focusing on migrants' departures and arrivals in all continents, this comprehensive handbook explores the social dynamics of migration crises, with an emphasis on factors that propel these flows as well as the actors that play a role in classifying them and in addressing them. The volume is organized into nine sections. The first section provides a historical overview of the link between migration and crises. The second looks at how migration crises are constructed, while the third section contextualizes the causes and effects of protracted conflicts in producing crises. The fourth focuses on the role of climate and the environment in generating migration crises, while the fifth section examines these migratory flows in migration corridors and transit countries. The sixth section looks at policy responses to migratory flows, The last three sections look at the role media and visual culture, gender, and immigrant incorporation play in migration crises.

The topic of 'illegal' immigration has been a major aspect of public discourse in the United States and many other immigrant-receiving countries. From the beginning of its modern invocation in the early twentieth century, the often ill-defined epithet of human 'illegality' has figured prominently in the media; in vigorous public debates at the national, state, and local levels; and in presidential campaigns. In this collection of essays, contributors from a variety of disciplines - anthropology, law, political science, religious studies, and sociology - examine how immigration law shapes immigrant illegality, how the concept of immigrant illegality is deployed and lived, and how its power is wielded and resisted. The authors conclude that the current concept of immigrant illegality is in need of sustained critique, as careful analysis will aid policy discussions and lead to more just solutions.

"I have given chapters of this book to our clients-- survivors of state-supported terror in Latin America-- and watched as they nodded their heads in agreement and then asked variations of the question: 'how can academics understand so well what was going on in our countries?' This book uses the lens of rigorous scholarship to bring out of the shadows the particularities and common patterns that enabled state repression to operate so effectively in the United States' sphere of influence for more than two decades." -- Sandra Coliver, Executive Director, Center for Justice & Accountability, San Francisco "There are currently no volumes that do what When States Kill accomplishes. This extraordinarily important volume, edited by two superb scholars, will make an outstanding contribution to many fields." -- Martha K. Huggins, Charles A. and Leo M. Favrot Professor of Human Relations, Department of Sociology, Tulane University, and coauthor of Violence Workers: Torturers and Murderers Reconstruct Brazilian Atrocities "This extraordinary collection of essays locates Latin American state terror within the context of the distinct and influential role of U.S. foreign and military policy in the region. This is a rare work, a 'must read' for academics from a range of disciplines as well as human rights and refugee advocates and lawyers." -- Carolyn Patty Blum, Clinical Professor of Law Emeritus, Boalt Hall Law School, University of California at Berkeley "This is an indispensable collection. Every chapter is a jewel! Given the importance of the topic, it should become a classic." -- Herna n Vera, Professor of Sociology, University of Florida

Since the earlytwentieth century, technological transfers from the United States to Latin American countries have involved technologies of violence for social control. As the chapters in this book illustrate, these technological transfers have taken various forms, including the training of Latin American military personnel in surveillance and torture and the provision of political and logistic support for campaigns of state terror. The human cost for Latin America has been enormous-- thousands of Latin Americans have been murdered, disappeared, or tortured, and whole communities have been terrorized into silence.

Organized by region, the essays in this book address the topic of state-sponsored terrorism in a variety of ways. Most take the perspective that state-directed political violence is a modern development of a regional political structure in which U.S. political interests weigh heavily. Others acknowledge that Latin American states enthusiastically received U.S. support for their campaigns of terror. A few see local culture and history as key factors in the implementation of state campaigns of political violence. Together, all the essays exemplify how technologies of terror have been transferred among various Latin American countries, with particular attention to the role that the United States, as a "strong" state, has played in such transfers.