The Moral and Political Philosophy of Immigration: Liberty, Security, and Equality

155 Pages·2016·3.009 MB·English

by  José Jorge Mendoza

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POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY • MORAL PHILOSOPHY
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“This book is a groundbreaking work in moral and political philosophy that treats the issue
of immigration not merely as an “applied” issue, but rather as an issue that demands an
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overhaul and radical rethinking of liberal theory. In very general terms, it argues for the
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necessity of situating the public debate on immigration at the center of philosophical debates E

on liberty, security, and equality.” —CARLOS ALBERTO SÁNCHEZ, San José State University M
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“A timely and much needed work that challenges philosophers to grapple with the moral and L

political issues surrounding immigration enforcement—the first book-length philosophical A
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treatment to do so. It also makes an excellent case for the invaluable role philosophy plays
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in debates surrounding immigration reform. At last, a Latino philosopher’s voice on this
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important issue!” —GRANT J. SILVA, Marquette University O
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In The Moral and Political Philosophy of Immigration: Liberty, Security, and Equality, José
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Jorge Mendoza argues that the difficulty with resolving the issue of immigration is primarily a
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conflict over competing moral and political principles and is thereby, at its core, a problem of L

philosophy. Establishing the necessity of situating the public debate on immigration at the center P
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of philosophical debates on liberty, security, and equality, this book brings into dialog various
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contemporary philosophical texts that deal with immigration to provide some normative guidance
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to future immigration policy and reform. S
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As a groundbreaking work in social and political philosophy, it will be of great value not only to H
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students and scholars in these fields, but also those working in social science, public policy,

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justice studies, and global studies programs whose work intersects with issues of immigration
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JOSÉ JORGE MENDOZA is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts M
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Lowell and is co-editor of Radical Philosophy Review. His areas of specialization are in moral and
THE MORAL AND POLITICAL
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political philosophy, philosophy of race, and Latin American philosophy. G
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A PHILOSOPHY OF IMMIGRATION
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LIBERTY, SECURITY, AND EQUALITY
LEXINGTON BOOKS
An imprint of
Rowman & Littlefield JOSÉ JORGE MENDOZA
800-462-6420 • www.rowman.com
Cover image © iStock.com/stellalevi
The Moral and Political
Philosophy of Immigration
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The Moral and Political
Philosophy of Immigration
Liberty, Security, and Equality
José Jorge Mendoza
LEXINGTON BOOKS
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Published by Lexington Books
An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www.rowman.com
Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB
Copyright © 2016 by Lexington Books
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote
passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
<to come>
∞ ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
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Para mis padres, Lupe y José, con mucho amor.
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Contents
Introduction: Philosophy and the Issue of Immigration vii
1 The Security Concern and the Security Dilemma 1
2 The Liberty Concern and the Liberty Dilemma 25
3 The Immigration Debate within Philosophy 51
4 A Legitimate State’s Freedom of Association and Its Critics 69
5 The Ethics of Immigration Enforcement 95
Conclusion: Toward a Just Framework for Immigration Reform 121
Index 000
Bibliography 131
About the Author 137
vii
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Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the help and support of
countless people. Beginning with my family, I would like to thank my mother
Guadalupe Marin, my father José Mendoza, my sister Lorena Mendoza, my
brother Nino G. Mendoza, my nieces and nephews Jonathon, Juliana, Logan,
and Shanti, my parents-in-law Sheryl and Peter Wirts, and also my “brothers
from another mother” Enrique Perez, Octavio Perez, Carlos Rico (RIP), Israel
Rivera, Leo Sandoval, James Taylor, Scott “Woody” Wood, Omar Zuniga
and all of their families who have treated me always as one of their own. Most
especially I would like to thank my life partner, Amelia Wirts, who never
tired of discussing all of the ideas in this book with me, read various drafts of
the chapters, and provided invaluable feedback and emotional support during
the entire process.
I would also like to thank all of my mentors who played key roles at
various critical junctures in my life and career. Without them I would not
be where I am today and this book would not have been possible. The most
sincerest of thank yous to Anatole Anton, Kostas “Gus” Bagakis, Edward
Olivos, Roberto Rivera, Cheyney Ryan and Naomi Zack. I hope that you see
a little bit of your influence reflected back to you in this book.
Lastly I would like to thank all of my friends and colleagues for their
support throughout the years: Brandon Absher, Linda Alcoff, Stephanie
Rivera Berruz, Michael Blake, Larry Blum, Danielle Bromwich, Michael
Philip Brown, Paul Bucher, Elizabeth Caldwell, Joseph Carens, Justin Akers
Chacón, Aviva Chomsky, Tommie Curry, Adrian Cruz, Kim Diaz, Enrique
Dussel, Elena Cuffari, Richard Daniels, Nick Evans, George Fourlas, Al
Frankoski, Heidi Furey, Jazmine Lily Gabriel, Jorge L. A. Garcia, Francisco
Gallegos, Lori Gallegos, Jorge J. E. Gracia. Aldo Guevara, Sally Haslanger,
Carol Hay, Peter Higgins, Christa Hodapp, Adam Hosein, Emma Jones,
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