Andrea Silva – författare

This comprehensive analysis of presidential immigration rhetoric quantifies the frequency, tone, and efficacy of public mentions of immigrants and immigration policy by the presidents from Washington through Biden.The book also explores the intersection of the presidential role with that of the other key actors in the immigration policy system—notably the press, the public, and Congress.For students of immigration studies, presidential studies, and political communication, this book also poses the question of which is of the greatest significance to the immigration policy agenda: presidential leadership making immigration a top priority or existing legislative support for comprehensive immigration reform.

This comprehensive analysis of presidential immigration rhetoric quantifies the frequency, tone, and efficacy of public mentions of immigrants and immigration policy by the presidents from Washington through Biden.The book also explores the intersection of the presidential role with that of the other key actors in the immigration policy system—notably the press, the public, and Congress.For students of immigration studies, presidential studies, and political communication, this book also poses the question of which is of the greatest significance to the immigration policy agenda: presidential leadership making immigration a top priority or existing legislative support for comprehensive immigration reform.

An essential guide to understanding how citizen lawmaking reshapes state immigration policySince 2010, state legislatures have enacted 1,644 statutes and resolutions regarding immigration, averaging about 329 laws each year. Nevertheless, the most controversial bills, the ones we remember and talk about, usually have some involvement with the direct democracy process: initiatives, propositions, and referendums designed by everyday citizens with little to no inside knowledge of politics. From driver's licenses and in-state tuition, to English-only education and access to social services, citizens are fundamentally shaping state immigration policy.In Direct Democracy Rules, Andrea Silva reveals how the frontlines of U.S. immigration policy have shifted from Congress to the states. While federal authority over immigration is well established, decades of legislative stalemate have created a vacuum that states, and citizens themselves, have rushed to fill. At the heart of Silva's analysis is the powerful role of direct democracy mechanisms in allowing activists, advocacy groups, and political strategists to bypass legislatures entirely, advancing sweeping policies without compromise. In this system, a single vote at the state level can reshape the lives of millions and influence the national conversation on immigration.Accessible, timely, and rigorously researched, Direct Democracy Rules ultimately frames these citizen-led battles over state policy as the new terrain of twenty-first century immigration politics.