Immigration and the State

This book examines how and why liberalism and human rights have proven insufficient to protect immigrants. Contemporary immigration systems are characterized by increasing complexity and expanding enforcement, and frequently criticized for violating human rights and for causing death, exclusion and exploitation. The ‘migrant crisis’ can also be understood as a crisis of hospitality for liberal democracies. Through analysis of the immigration histories and political dynamics of Britain and the US, the book explains how these two archetypal liberal states have both sought to create a hostile environment for unwanted immigrants. The book provides a fresh and original perspective on the development of immigration systems, showing how they have become subject to the politics of fear and greed, and revealing how different traditions of hospitality have evolved, survived, and renewed.

“This fine book examines how the ‘migration crisis’ presented as facing liberal democracies is in fact a crisis of liberal democracies that is experienced most viscerally by migrants. Its comparative examination of the policies of the UK and the US and tracing of their roots in liberal theory is provocative, fascinating, and highly accessible.” (Bridget Anderson, Professor of Migration and Citizenship, and Research Director of COMPAS, University of Oxford's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society, UK)

“This excellent book points up the huge gap between the rhetoric of the UK as a welcoming refuge for those fleeing violence and the reality of racism, destitution and despair facing those, from the Jews of 1905,through post-war refugees from Stalinism, Ugandan Asians expelled by Amin to present-day seekers of asylum.” (Gary Craig, Professor of Community Development and Social Justice, School of Applied Social Sciences, Durham University, UK)

“Balch’s close scrutiny of the modern politics of migration leads to very clear conclusions as to why it is taking such a worrying turn.  His investigation of the reasons why a duty of hospitality should be at the centre of any approach fit for the needs of the twenty-first century is very welcome.” (Don Flynn, Director, Migrants' Rights Network, UK)

Alex Balch is Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool, UK. His work focuses on the politics and policy of immigration, and efforts to combat forced labour and human trafficking. He has worked with a range of government and non-government organisations on research projects and regularly contributes to public debates. He is a member of the Forced Labour Monitoring Group (FLMG).