Immigration Policy and the Challenge of Globalization

Book excerpt: After years of internal debate, labor union leaders have come to regard immigration as an inevitable consequence of globalization. Labor leaders have come to believe that restrictive immigration policies, which they once supported to protect their native constituencies, do little more than encourage illegal immigration. As a result, most labor leaders today support more open policies that promote legal immigration, creating an unconventional, unspoken partnership with employers. Julie R. Watts identifies globalization as the impetus behind the change in labor leaders' attitudes toward immigration. She then compares specific political, economic, and institutional circumstances that have shaped immigration preferences and policies in France, Italy, Spain, and the United States. In addition to revealing the unusual alliance between unions and employers on the immigration issue, Watts examines the role both groups play in the formulation of national policy.