Book Reviews
| Published date | 01 March 1987 |
| Date | 01 March 1987 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.1987.tb00129.x |
Book
Reviews
D.
MORRIS Immigration:
The Beleaguered
Bureaucracy.
Washington, Brookings Institute,
1985,150 pp., ISBN-815758383
There is no denying that
Immigration: The Be-
leaguered Bureaucracy
is a very timely addition
to the literature
on
immigration. As such it is
recommended reading for students, legislators,
administrators and practitioners in the field of
immigration. The book presents a broad over-
view of the major issues of concern vis-a-vis
immigration in the United States including poli-
cy, legislation and the administration of the
immigration program and 'addresses many of
the concerns about controlling immigration by
focusing on the character and performance of the
immigration bureaucracy'. While it concentra-
tes solely
on
the United States legislation, policy
and administrative structure, it is nevertheless
relevant to other immigrant receiving countries
who find themselves poised for a review of their
immigration policies and programs in order to
meet the challenges and opportunities of the
1990's.
This book attempts to come to grips with a wide
range of immigration topics such as the search
for a% ideal immigration policy, appropriate
levels
of
immigration, public attitudes towards
immigration and the administrative and organi-
zational aspects of the immigration program.
The discussion
on
these issues however, is nei-
ther complete
nor
comprehensive. Furthermore,
the analytical parameters lack the degree of
depth that would characterize this study as an
exhaustive research effort.
In
view of this the
conclusions that are suggested are equally
broad.
Immigration
:
The Beleaguered Bureaucracy
lists several conclusions and recommendations
that are proposed for the United States but are
pertinent
for
most immigrant receiving coun-
tries.
Moms
recommends a major increase in
the budget of the immigration services. He
sug-
gests the formation
of
a strong planning and
research unit within the immigration service
whose principal mandate would
be
'to respond
effectively to new developments and play a more
prominent role in developing immigration poli-
cies'. Furthermore, the author suggests that there
is a need to initiate a public education compo-
nent for immigration.
While the book is recommended reading it is not
by any stretch of the imagination a comprehen-
sive and exhaustive study of contemporary im-
migration. It does however, succeed in drawing
up a lenghty list of topical issues and concerns
that are at the very forefront of academic re-
search and administrative review. It also provi-
des a good overview
of
contemporary adminis-
trative problems and concerns in the United
States.
Finally,
Immigration: The Beleaguered Bureau-
cracy
is most relevant for immigrant receiving
countries who are in the process of articulating
their agenda for action that will initiate the evo-
lution of their immigration policy, legislation
and administrative services in order to contend
with illegal immigration, family reunification,
entrepreneurial immigrants and the humanita-
rian commitment to accept a certain percentage
of refugees.
C.
PASSARIS
University of New Brunswick
(Canada)
International Migration
in
the Pacific, Sri Lanka
and Thailand
(Asian Population Studies). Bang-
kok, United Nations, 1985, 88p.
International Migration in the Pacific has chan-
ged drastically over the past twenty years and is
not well
known.
Until 1965, the largest part of
the migrating flows consisted of refugees. Then,
99
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