The migration and settlement of 11 million unauthorized immigrants is among the leading political challenges facing the United States today. The majority of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. have been here for more than five years, and are settling into American communities, working, forming families, and serving in the military, even though they may be detained and deported if they are discovered. An open question remains as to what to do about unauthorized immigrants who are already living in the United States. On one hand it is important that the government sends a message that future violations of immigration law will not be tolerated. On the other sits a deeper ethical dilemma that is the focus of this book: what do the state and citizens owe to unauthorized immigrants who have served their adopted country? Earned Citizenship argues that long-term unauthorized immigrant residents should be able to earn legalization and a pathway to citizenship through service in their adopted communities. Their service would act as restitution for immigration law violations. Military service in particular would merit naturalization in countries with a strong citizen-soldier tradition, including the United States. The book also considers the civic value of caregiving as a service to citizens and the country, contending that family immigration policies should be expanded to recognize the importance of caregiving duties for dependents. This argument is part of a broader project in political theory and public policy aimed at reconciling civic republicanism with a feminist ethic of care, and its emphasis on dependency work. As a whole, Earned Citizenship provides a non-humanitarian justification for legalizing unauthorized immigrants based on their contributions to citizens and institutions in their adopted nation.

About the Author
Michael J. Sullivan is Associate Professor in the Graduate International Relations Department at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. His work has appeared in Restorative Justice, Politics, Groups and Identities, Social Politics, International Journal of Children's Rights, Canadian Review of American Studies, Journal of Identity and Migration Studies, Boston Journal of Law and Social Justice, and Texas Law Review.

Reviews
Earned Citizenshipis vitally effective because readers aren't simply expanding their knowledge framework but are required to make ongoing ethical decisions and to live out that morality in their everyday lives. It is a challenging and engrossing book. * Manhattan Book Review *
Sullivan explores pathways to legal residency and citizenship through serving in the military, parenting children, and caring for the disabled or elderly. He first presents the current challenges of enacting immigration reform, then argues that "civic membership as reciprocity" should recognize the contributions of unauthorized immigrants through normalizing their status to remain in the US. The subsequent four chapters provide well-researched cases that underscore that argument, including military service members who work for the nation, parents who raise children in stable home environments, and caretakers who sacrifice their lives for the public good, providing high-level care for the elderly or handicapped. He advocates that caring for others is of civic value to the greater community. His most convincing appeal for citizenship is for those in the military. This title will add greatly to the current discussion on immigration. * K. Ladell, CHOICE *
Earned Citizenship is an impressive and erudite contribution to our on-going national discussion regarding immigration and the provision of paths to citizenship for the undocumented population of the United States. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, Earned Citizenships is unreservedly recommended as a critically important and core addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Social Issues & Immigration/Citizenship collections and supplemental studies lists. * Midwest Book Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780190918354
Author Michael J. Sullivan
Format Hardback
Page Count 296
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 544g
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 236mm * 31mm