Description
Immigrants are less likely to commit crimes. They are eager to learn local languages. Immigration is not a burden on social services. Border walls do not work. There is no unmanageable refugee crisis. Yet many such misinformed assumptions and harmful misconceptions pervade conversations about immigration.
This timely book is a practical, evidence-based primer on immigrants and immigration. Each chapter debunks a frequently encountered claim and answers common questions. Presenting the latest findings and decades of interdisciplinary research in an accessible way, Ernesto Castaneda and Carina Cione emphasize the expert consensus that immigration is vital to the United States and many other countries around the world. Featuring original insights from research conducted in El Paso, Texas, Immigration Realities considers a wide range of places, ethnic groups, and historical eras. It provides the key data and context to understand how immigration affects economies, crime rates, and social welfare systems, and it sheds light on contentious issues such as the safety of the U.S.-Mexico border and the consequences of Brexit. This book is an indispensable guide for all readers who want to counter false claims about immigration and are interested in what the research shows.
About the Author
Ernesto Castaneda is the director of the Immigration Lab and the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University. His books include A Place to Call Home: Immigrant Exclusion and Urban Belonging in New York, Paris, and Barcelona (2018); Building Walls: Excluding Latin People in the United States (2019); and Reunited: Family Separation and Central American Youth Migration (2024).
Carina Cione is a sociologist and writer based out of Baltimore, MD. Their work has been featured by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Trauma Care, El Paso News, and American University's Center for Latin American & Latino Studies Working Paper Series.
Reviews
There's an abyss between what people think about immigration and what the evidence shows. Immigration Realities bridges that abyss by setting the record straight on critical topics like the border, crime, assimilation, welfare, remittances, and refugees. This is an important book for all audiences. -- Zeke Hernandez, author of The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers
Immigration Realities is the reality check everyone in the country should read right now. Castaneda and Cione cracked the code on how to connect the latest research on immigration with a broad public that is worried about immigration but doesn't know whom to trust for honest information. This book cuts through the deluge of immigration misinformation by patiently taking readers on a journey through some of the biggest questions and providing data-driven answers that are both compassionate and unapologetic. Immigration Realities is your ultimate immigration field guide. -- Austin Kocher, Syracuse University
Castaneda and Cione have produced a powerfully written and persuasive statement against several of the most common stereotypes about contemporary immigration. It is a particularly timely book given the wave of nativism and anti-immigrant rhetoric now sweeping the political scene of the United States and other developed countries. -- Alejandro Portes, Princeton University
Immigration Realities brings together a wealth of research evidence to convincingly refute prevalent misinformation about immigration. The book is accessible for students and the broader public, while also highlighting for scholars where common research practices may amplify public misperceptions. -- Abigail Fisher Williamson, author of Welcoming New Americans? Local Governments and Immigrant Incorporation
Immigration Realities challenges common misconceptions, presenting carefully curated research to better understand immigration issues. The book excels in centering the experiences of disadvantaged migrants, building on an original survey of El Paso's Latin communities and offering fresh insights into contemporary policy debates in America and elsewhere. -- Alexander Kustov, author of In Our Interest: How to Make Immigration Popular
Ernesto Castaneda and Carina Cione do a masterful job of challenging existing myths on immigration and showing how immigrants have contributed to a more vibrant and successful society throughout the course of U.S. history and especially today. This is essential reading for anyone interested in today's immigration debates and in understanding what scholarship on immigration actually shows us. -- Andrew Selee, President, Migration Policy Institute
Immigration Realities is a timely and necessary addition to the literature on international migration. Through dispelling damaging myths and shedding light on the actual experiences and dreams of immigrants, Castaneda and Cione have crafted a must-read book that crosses borders and disciplines. -- Teresa Mares, author of Life on the Other Border: Farmworkers and Food Justice in Vermont
While the book's perspective may not align with all viewpoints, its well-supported insights make it a valuable resource for readers interested in a nuanced, evidence-based understanding of migration, encouraging a thoughtful approach to policy and public dialogue. * European Center for Populism Studies *
Book Information
ISBN 9780231203753
Author Ernesto Castaneda
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press
This timely book is a practical, evidence-based primer on immigrants and immigration. Each chapter debunks a frequently encountered claim and answers common questions. Presenting the latest findings and decades of interdisciplinary research in an accessible way, Ernesto Castaneda and Carina Cione emphasize the expert consensus that immigration is vital to the United States and many other countries around the world. Featuring original insights from research conducted in El Paso, Texas, Immigration Realities considers a wide range of places, ethnic groups, and historical eras. It provides the key data and context to understand how immigration affects economies, crime rates, and social welfare systems, and it sheds light on contentious issues such as the safety of the U.S.-Mexico border and the consequences of Brexit. This book is an indispensable guide for all readers who want to counter false claims about immigration and are interested in what the research shows.
About the Author
Ernesto Castaneda is the director of the Immigration Lab and the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University. His books include A Place to Call Home: Immigrant Exclusion and Urban Belonging in New York, Paris, and Barcelona (2018); Building Walls: Excluding Latin People in the United States (2019); and Reunited: Family Separation and Central American Youth Migration (2024).
Carina Cione is a sociologist and writer based out of Baltimore, MD. Their work has been featured by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Trauma Care, El Paso News, and American University's Center for Latin American & Latino Studies Working Paper Series.
Reviews
There's an abyss between what people think about immigration and what the evidence shows. Immigration Realities bridges that abyss by setting the record straight on critical topics like the border, crime, assimilation, welfare, remittances, and refugees. This is an important book for all audiences. -- Zeke Hernandez, author of The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers
Immigration Realities is the reality check everyone in the country should read right now. Castaneda and Cione cracked the code on how to connect the latest research on immigration with a broad public that is worried about immigration but doesn't know whom to trust for honest information. This book cuts through the deluge of immigration misinformation by patiently taking readers on a journey through some of the biggest questions and providing data-driven answers that are both compassionate and unapologetic. Immigration Realities is your ultimate immigration field guide. -- Austin Kocher, Syracuse University
Castaneda and Cione have produced a powerfully written and persuasive statement against several of the most common stereotypes about contemporary immigration. It is a particularly timely book given the wave of nativism and anti-immigrant rhetoric now sweeping the political scene of the United States and other developed countries. -- Alejandro Portes, Princeton University
Immigration Realities brings together a wealth of research evidence to convincingly refute prevalent misinformation about immigration. The book is accessible for students and the broader public, while also highlighting for scholars where common research practices may amplify public misperceptions. -- Abigail Fisher Williamson, author of Welcoming New Americans? Local Governments and Immigrant Incorporation
Immigration Realities challenges common misconceptions, presenting carefully curated research to better understand immigration issues. The book excels in centering the experiences of disadvantaged migrants, building on an original survey of El Paso's Latin communities and offering fresh insights into contemporary policy debates in America and elsewhere. -- Alexander Kustov, author of In Our Interest: How to Make Immigration Popular
Ernesto Castaneda and Carina Cione do a masterful job of challenging existing myths on immigration and showing how immigrants have contributed to a more vibrant and successful society throughout the course of U.S. history and especially today. This is essential reading for anyone interested in today's immigration debates and in understanding what scholarship on immigration actually shows us. -- Andrew Selee, President, Migration Policy Institute
Immigration Realities is a timely and necessary addition to the literature on international migration. Through dispelling damaging myths and shedding light on the actual experiences and dreams of immigrants, Castaneda and Cione have crafted a must-read book that crosses borders and disciplines. -- Teresa Mares, author of Life on the Other Border: Farmworkers and Food Justice in Vermont
While the book's perspective may not align with all viewpoints, its well-supported insights make it a valuable resource for readers interested in a nuanced, evidence-based understanding of migration, encouraging a thoughtful approach to policy and public dialogue. * European Center for Populism Studies *
Book Information
ISBN 9780231203753
Author Ernesto Castaneda
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press
