Strangers to the Constitution

Immigrants, Borders, and Fundamental Law

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Constitutional
Cover of the book Strangers to the Constitution by Gerald L. Neuman, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gerald L. Neuman ISBN: 9781400821952
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: July 1, 2010
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Gerald L. Neuman
ISBN: 9781400821952
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: July 1, 2010
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

Gerald Neuman discusses in historical and contemporary terms the repeated efforts of U.S. insiders to claim the Constitution as their exclusive property and to deny constitutional rights to aliens and immigrants--and even citizens if they are outside the nation's borders. Tracing such efforts from the debates over the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798 to present-day controversies about illegal aliens and their children, the author argues that no human being subject to the governance of the United States should be a "stranger to the Constitution."

Thus, whenever the government asserts its power to impose obligations on individuals, it brings them within the constitutional system and should afford them constitutional rights. In Neuman's view, this mutuality of obligation is the most persuasive approach to extending constitutional rights extraterritorially to all U.S. citizens and to those aliens on whom the United States seeks to impose legal responsibilities. Examining both mutuality and more flexible theories, Neuman defends some constitutional constraints on immigration and deportation policies and argues that the political rights of aliens need not exclude suffrage. Finally, in regard to whether children born in the United States to illegally present alien parents should be U.S. citizens, he concludes that the Constitution's traditional shield against the emergence of a hereditary caste of "illegals" should be vigilantly preserved.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Gerald Neuman discusses in historical and contemporary terms the repeated efforts of U.S. insiders to claim the Constitution as their exclusive property and to deny constitutional rights to aliens and immigrants--and even citizens if they are outside the nation's borders. Tracing such efforts from the debates over the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798 to present-day controversies about illegal aliens and their children, the author argues that no human being subject to the governance of the United States should be a "stranger to the Constitution."

Thus, whenever the government asserts its power to impose obligations on individuals, it brings them within the constitutional system and should afford them constitutional rights. In Neuman's view, this mutuality of obligation is the most persuasive approach to extending constitutional rights extraterritorially to all U.S. citizens and to those aliens on whom the United States seeks to impose legal responsibilities. Examining both mutuality and more flexible theories, Neuman defends some constitutional constraints on immigration and deportation policies and argues that the political rights of aliens need not exclude suffrage. Finally, in regard to whether children born in the United States to illegally present alien parents should be U.S. citizens, he concludes that the Constitution's traditional shield against the emergence of a hereditary caste of "illegals" should be vigilantly preserved.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Kierkegaard's Writings, XIX: Sickness Unto Death: A Christian Psychological Exposition for Upbuilding and Awakening by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book Hodge Theory (MN-49) by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book Nart Sagas by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book Statistical Mechanics in a Nutshell by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book Personal Impressions by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book As a City on a Hill by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book Making the Arab World by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book The Transformation of American Politics by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book Black Corona by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book Cross and Scepter by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book Just Married by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions (MPB-49) by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book Big Gods by Gerald L. Neuman
Cover of the book White Flight by Gerald L. Neuman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy