At its annual meeting in April, the Organization of American Historians awarded the Award for Contributions to Public Policy ("recognizing significant contributions to U.S. public policy through historical research") to S. Deborah Kang (University of Virginia). The citation:
S. Deborah Kang is a leading scholar of border enforcement whose work brings important
insights to both law and policy. Her book The INS on the Line: Making Immigration Law on the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1917-1954 (2017) has informed affidavits and amicus briefs that seek to illuminate how past immigration laws and policies have impacted the lives of countless individuals both in the past and present day. Her award-winning book, The INS on the Line, provides the starting point for her policy work. Her affidavits and amicus briefs are detailed and scholarly and deeply historical works that seek to show that “in the long term, the agency’s repeated exercise of its administrative discretion resulted in the creation of a broad and distinctive set of policies, pertaining to admissions, deportation, and enforcement, for the border region.” Kang’s extensive efforts to make immigration policy more humane and equitable are an exemplary example of the type of contributions to and ongoing obligations the historical profession has in helping to create public policy that is more firmly grounded in sound history.
Congratulations to Professor Kang!
-- Karen Tani
