Shadow Immigration and the Power of the Presidency

The president wields immense power to shift immigration policy and shape the lives of nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants who live in the shadow of the U.S. immigration system. Regulatory and demographic changes over the last century have resulted in a large undocumented population in America, particularly from Mexico and Central America. Without a path to legalization, undocumented immigrants remain deportable at any time and subject to the discretion of the enormous immigration enforcement bureaucracy. In part 1 of this 2-part series, Professors Adam Cox and Cristina Rodriguez, co-authors of The President and Immigration Law, explain the changes that have led to this massive shadow immigration system. They explore how the president came to sit atop a supersized enforcement bureaucracy and trace how deportation enforcement priorities have increasingly dominated U.S. immigration policy under recent administrations.

Watch Part 2 of Shadow Immigration and the Power of the Presidency.


  • Attorney CLE accreditation 

Prof. John J. Donohue III discusses Analyzing Death - Race and Bias in Capital Punishment
Analyzing Death - Race and Bias in Capital Punishment
Prof. Jeffrey Rosen discusses Government Surveillance: Privacy & Technology
Government Surveillance: Privacy & Technology
Phillip Miller discusses Jailhouse Law—Lawyering from Inside Prison
Jailhouse Law—Lawyering from Inside Prison
Prof. Richard H. Fallon, Jr. discusses Justice Forever – Life Tenure
Justice Forever – Life Tenure
Prof. Richard H. Fallon, Jr. discusses Justice Forever – Life Tenure  (Part 2)
Justice Forever – Life Tenure (Part 2)
Prof. Daniel Capra discusses Police Power and Personal Rights
Police Power and Personal Rights
Prof. Daniel Capra discusses Police Power and Personal Rights (Part 2)
Police Power and Personal Rights (Part 2)
Prof. John J. Donohue III discusses Regulating Guns: Smart Laws & Dumb Laws
Regulating Guns: Smart Laws & Dumb Laws
Prof. John J. Donohue III discusses Regulating Guns: Smart Laws & Dumb Laws (Part 2)
Regulating Guns: Smart Laws & Dumb Laws (Part 2)
Judge Andrew Napolitano discusses Replacing Scalia - Filling a Vacancy on the Supreme Court
Replacing Scalia - Filling a Vacancy on the Supreme Court
Judge Andrew Napolitano discusses SCOTUS 2016 - A Year without a Justice
SCOTUS 2016 - A Year without a Justice