The concern over the relationship between migrants and crime has reached epic proportions in the United States. Laws, policies, procedures, and rules have been developed, the immigration and criminal justice system have been employed, and billions of dollars have been spent towards detecting, detaining, prosecuting, and removing those who pose "the greatest threat to the nation." The intersection of criminal and immigration law ("crimmigration") has not only redesigned the criminal and immigration systems, but also brought about a cultural transformation in the United States—restructuring social categories, diminishing the economic and political power, and perpetuating the marginalization of the largest minority population in the United States—Latinos.
Latinos have consistently represented over 90 percent of those in immigration detention, prosecuted for immigration violations, and removed as "criminal aliens." Despite the devastating impact that crimmigration has had on this particular group, little has been written about crimmigration’s creation and its relationship to the continued subordination and stratification of Latinos. This book fills this void, exploring the ways in which crimmigration restructures the relationship between Latinos and dominant society to reinforce their marginalized status and examining how crimmigration enforces the historical identity of Latinos within the United States, as temporary, menial, and subordinated through the label of the "criminal alien."