The Political Dynamics of Unauthorized Immigration: Conflict, Change, and Agency in Time.

There is no shortage of historical and sociological works tackling the long-term development of U.S. policies on unauthorized immigration. This essay highlights several key conceptual and empirical gaps for understanding the politics of immigration policy history, and spotlights the meaning and implications of conflicts over problem definition, reform impasses, 'strange bedfellow' compromises, and immigrant agency. The study underscores the increasing intensity and texture of struggles over 'illegal' immigration over time. This essay also highlights how rare shifts from gridlock to major policy change have been driven by unexpected alliances, the necessity of painful compromises to appease disparate actors, and the contradictions produced by immigration reform packages. Finally, this essay highlights the role of immigrants as transformative agents in immigration politics, who employ strategies of litigation, civil disobedience, protest, and electoral mobilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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