Americans in waiting [electronic resource] : the lost story of immigration and citizenship in the United States / Hiroshi Motomura.

Introduction: immigrants in America
Contract and classical immigration law
Promises, promises
All persons within the territorial jurisdiction
Alienage and the ties that bind
The most tender connections
The lost story of Americans-in-waiting
Transition at a crossroads
The meaning of transition
Race, belonging, and transition
Taking transition seriously
Conclusion : the idea of Americans-in-waiting
Notes.