5 Books to Help You Understand the Immigration Debate

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, immigration is again a decisive issue. Over 60 percent of the electorate considers it a top concern. Crossings at America’s southern border, though now trending quickly downward, hit an all-time high in December. The backlog of asylum applications grew, even as cities scrambled to accommodate migrants fleeing instability in countries like Venezuela and Afghanistan.

Former President Donald Trump, who promises mass deportations if re-elected, has staked his campaign on conjured images of a “military invasion” of criminals and terrorists, falsely accusing migrants of being responsible for stagnating wages and housing shortages.

Democrats, in response to rising alarm from voters, have lurched rightward on the matter. Over the past few months, President Biden has introduced executive orders that severely curtailed asylum cases. Since taking over the ticket in July, Vice President Kamala Harris has campaigned for tougher border restrictions and blamed Trump for sinking attempts at bipartisan reform.

Immigration policy should be straightforward, a transparent decision made by the government about whom it allows in. But it’s not, and making sense of the issue often means wading through analysis riddled with legal jargon, agency names and the alphabet soup of our visa program. Sensible questions about how we ended up with such a flawed and bloated system or why so many people still risk the trip are mostly left unaddressed.

The good news is we don’t have to live like this. Here are some books that make the topic less muddled and offer a dose of perspective.