In the Shadow of the Law: The Hanigan Case and the Genesis of the Immigrant Rights Movement.

This article examines the 1976 Hanigan case, in which a group of U.S. ranchers kidnapped and tortured undocumented Mexican workers. This case catalyzed activism on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, sparking a broader immigrant rights movement rooted in civil rights strategies and human rights rhetoric. The article explores how this movement influenced U.S. immigration policy, challenging the militarization of the border and the treatment of undocumented immigrants within the legal system.