This book provides the first comprehensive socio-political, economic and historical analysis from a Mexican American perspective of Mexican illegal immigration to and Mexican immigrants and Mexican immigration in the United States during the last 50 years and how this human influx impacts on current Mexican American politics and discourse, and Hispanic Americans in general.

Introduction -- From the beginning -- Why do they come here? -- Mission impossible -- The underground railroad meets Ellis Island -- Conditioned fear -- Border tales -- American hypocrisy -- The making of the Mexican slave -- Impossible solutions.