Immigration Reform and Latino Political Mobilization

Professor Silvia Pedraza traces the history of U.S. immigration laws to highlight what allowed successful immigration reform in the past. She also describes the failed attempts in recent years to pass comprehensive immigration reform, underlining what would constitute a good policy. Professor Pedraza argues that while we have failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform, we have, indeed, succeeded in mobilizing the Latino/a community, who are now more eager to be new Americans than they ever were in the past—and are also more adept at influencing the political system.