“Incisive and compelling, reflecting the painful wisdom and knowledge that Bill Ong Hing has accrued over the course of fifty years . . . ”—Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow

First book to argue that immigrant and refugee rights are part of the fight for racial justice; offers a humanitarian approach to reform and abolition

Product Code: 9465
ISBN: 9780807016459
Format: Paperback / softback
Publisher: Beacon Press
Pages: 280
Published Date: 10/08/2024
Availability:In stock
N/A
Price: $18.95

The May 2025 Justice and Spirit: Unitarian Universalist Book Club selection.

Representing non-citizens caught up in what he calls the immigration and enforcement “meat grinder”, Bill Ong Hing witnessed their trauma, arriving at this conclusion: migrants should have the right to free movement across borders—and the right to live free of harassment over immigration status.

He cites examples of racial injustices endemic in immigration law and enforcement, from historic courtroom cases to the recent treatment of Haitian migrants. Hing includes histories of Mexican immigration, African migration and the Asian exclusion era, all of which reveal ICE abuse and a history of often forgotten racist immigration laws.

While ultimately arguing for the abolishment of ICE, Hing advocates for change now. With 50 years of law practice and litigation, Hing has represented non-citizens—from gang members to asylum seekers fleeing violence, and from individuals in ICE detention to families at the US southern border seeking refuge.

Hing maps out major reforms to the immigration system, making an urgent call for the adoption of a radical, racial justice lens. Readers will understand the root causes of migration and our country’s culpability in contributing to those causes.


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Contents

Preface

CHAPTER 1
An Introduction to the Racial Injustice of Immigration Law

CHAPTER 2
The Inhumane Treatment of Detained Children

CHAPTER 3
Deporting Aggravated Felons

CHAPTER 4
Deporting Antonio Sanchez: The Failure of Prosecutorial Discretion and Cancellation of Removal

CHAPTER 5
Giving the Benefit of the Doubt to Asylum Seekers

CHAPTER 6
Dysfunctional Immigration Courts

EPILOGUE
On Disruption

APPENDIX TO CHAPTER 1
Historical Overview: The Racism of US Immigration Laws and Enforcement

APPENDIX TO THE EPILOGUE
Disruptive Racial Justice Courtroom Strategies

Acknowledgments
Notes
Index

“By the time they finish the concluding capsule history of US immigration policy’s structural racism, many readers will agree with him. A powerful, cogent indictment.” —Kirkus Reviews

Humanizing Immigration is a stirring call to action, urging readers to act from a place of empathy, not fear.” —Booklist

“Bill Ong Hing rises to [migrants’] defense. And migrants need defenders like him, especially now […] Hing puts forward a basic truth: winning public understanding of immigration is the only way to decisively defeat anti-immigrant hysteria.” —Jacobin

Humanizing Immigration is a passionate, clear-eyed, and necessary call for restoring justice and humanity in America’s broken and corrupt immigration system, which has punished and criminalized communities simply seeking a chance to participate in the elusive American dream. Professor Hing uses his lifetime of experience to make a compelling and persuasive case to abolish ICE and to inspire political leaders and organizers to disrupt and reform laws and policies to uplift, instead of demonize, those of us who come from the ‘sh*thole countries.’” —Wajahat Ali, author of Go Back to Where You Came From

“For anyone who has wondered whether or why we should abolish ICE, this book is a must-read. Long-time immigration lawyer and activist Bill Ong Hing clearly lays out how racism, over-policing, over-enforcement, and the cruel absurdities of immigration law lead to wholly unnecessary human tragedies. With his deep knowledge of the intricacies of the law and its implementation, Hing proposes practical steps toward mitigating the worst of ICE abuses while also making a powerful case for the larger goal of abolition and imagining what a just immigration system could look like.” —Aviva Chomsky, author of Undocumented: How Immigration Became Illegal

“An essential read. Bill Ong Hing expertly dissects America’s broken immigration system with authority and aplomb. I trust few people more than him to drive discourse and action around immigrants.” —Jose Antonio Vargas, author of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

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