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Acknowledgments F or some time now, I have been troubled by the venom directed at undocumented workers who have crossed borders in search of a better life. Since the 1970s, I have had the privilege and opportunity to meet and represent countless individuals whom the anti-immigrant lobby and the mass media have dubbed “illegal” immigrants. These are decent folks who deserve respect and much better treatment. I am thankful for having met these people and their families. They continue to inspire me to search for the truth on their behalf and to share what I learn with others. Since the 1990s, I have wanted to investigate the causes of the mounting desperation that the border crossers from Mexico I encounter have demonstrated . Why have their pesos been devalued time and again? Why are manufacturing jobs on the decline? Why is U.S. corn cheaper for Mexicans than their own corn? Why do many risk life and limb to cross the border? Why must they look to El Norte—the North—for a better life. As I sought answers to these questions, my findings were troubling. As I delved deeper into this project and realized how the phenomenon of globalization controls the lives of average workers from Mexico, Sir Thomas More’s criticism of the English justice system of the 1500s kept coming to mind: “For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them?”1 x Acknowledgments U.S. economic policies, trade strategies, and the multinational corporations that promote trade agreements have created the environment and institutions that induce the movement of workers across borders. The workers are pushed and pulled into the U.S. workforce. We then demonize and, in some situations, criminalize these migrants. To characterize them as culprits is simply dishonest. I could not have undertaken a project of this size and nature without substantial assistance and support. Most of the research funds and resources for this project were provided by Rex Perschbacher and Kevin Johnson of the University of California (UC), Davis, School of Law. Over the years, Rex and Kevin have been wonderful colleagues and have become dear friends. This project is as much theirs as it is mine. Jeff Brand of the University of San Francisco (USF) School of Law also gave me partial research support for the project. The USF law faculty offered very useful feedback on the project at a lunch presentation. Laura Carlsen of the Americas Policy Program and Ted Lewis of Global Exchange offered me early guidance. Jennifer Allen and Fernando Garcia of the Border Action Network and Oscar Chacón of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities, provided great insight. I particularly thank Janet Francendese, the superb editor-inchief at Temple University Press, for her faith in my efforts and the rigor with which she challenged me to be accurate, complete, and fair. She deserves great credit for the quality of the final product. Several UC Davis law students provided excellent research assistance: Vandana Balakrishnan, Samantha Grant, Victoria Hassid, Natalie Johnston, Tally Kingsnorth, Julia Mendoza, Ramaah Sadasivam, and Caroline Swindells. Without them, the project could not have progressed. My friends at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center remain my greatest source of inspiration: Kathy Brady, Eric Cohen, Chris Godwin, Jonathan Huang, Angie Junck, Sally Kinoshita, Shari Kurita, Deirdre O’Shea, Nora Privitera, Tim Sheehan, Mark Silverman, Byron Spicer, Shellie Stortz, Sai Suzuki, and Daniel Torres. Their hard work and dedication on behalf of all immigrants is extraordinary. I also appreciate the assistance of the library staff of the UC Davis School of Law and the San Mateo Public Library. I am blessed with a family that is completely supportive of the work I do. My wife, Lenora, and our children, Eric, Sharon, and Julianne, continue to demonstrate tireless dedication to community service. They set the bar high with their efforts, and every day I learn something from them about low-income groups, the disadvantaged, and immigrant communities. They encourage me to do good work and expect me to get it right. ...

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