Shows how punitive immigration and border enforcement policies have backfired, resulting in higher numbers of undocumented spread across larger areas of United States. Recommends 1) regulating border on binational basis by increasing annual quotas, establishing a flexible temporary labor program, and regularizing status of migrants in U.S.; 2) reducing incentives to hire undocumented workers through enforcing tax, labor, and worker-safety laws; and 3) developing strategies to help migrants better use earnings for savings and investment in Mexican communities.
Contends that the roots of the undocumented immigrant crisis lie in policymakers' fundamental misunderstanding of the causes of migration and migrants' motivations. Uses data to rebut basic misconceptions: that migration is caused by the lack of economic development and rapid population growth in home countries; that migrants are attracted mainly by wage differentials or public benefits; and that most intend to settle permanently in the United States.
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