The Right to Stay Home: How US Policy Drives Mexican Migration

“An important contribution to the current immigration debate.” –Kirkus Reviews “Americans mostly think of immigration in terms of its impact on the US. David Bacon’s work reminds us that migration has a profound impact on the places migrants leave from, just as surely as it does on the places they go to. He argues persuasively that the right not to migrate cannot be divorced from immigrant rights. The heart of his work is in human stories, and this book validates its ideas with vivid testimony, in migrants’ own words, from those most affected.” –John W. Wilhelm, president of UNITE HERE!

“Bacon’s book, which is enhanced by 11 personal narratives, will help readers gain a significantly more sophisticated understanding of the context and on-the-ground reality of undocumented migrants in the U.S.” –Publisher’s Weekly

“Combining evocative personal narratives with penetrating geopolitical analysis, this compelling book vividly reveals the devastating effects on Mexico of the global class war of the past decades and their impact on the United States. Perhaps the most striking demand of the victims is ‘the right to not migrate, ’ the right to live with dignity and hope, bitterly attacked under the neoliberal version of globalization.” –Noam Chomsky

“A must-read for organizers, immigrant advocates, policy wonks, and citizens who care about our history and values as a nation. This book puts a human face on the immigration debate, its impact on people on both sides of the border, and the indispensable elements of real comprehensive immigration reform–who got us into this mess and what we need to do to fix it.” –Eliseo Medina, international secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union and former vice president of the United Farm Workers

David Bacon is a journalist and photographer. He is an associate editor at Pacific News Service and a regular contributor to “The Nation, The Progressive, Z, The American Prospect, “and the “L.A. Weekly”. His photographs documenting the lives of the workers discussed in the book were recently exhibited at the Oakland Museum of California as well as in Germany and Great Britain. His work can be seen at

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