The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela

Let me start out by saying that I enjoyed this book, because some of what I say about it might lead you to think otherwise. Andrés, the protagonist of the novel, is a gay Latino professor of public health who is on the rocks with his spouse who recently cheated on him but wants to repair the relationship. He decides to go back to his home town, Babylon, a fictional suburban community of an unnamed urban city, to support his sick father and caretaker mother. His parents, immigrants from El Salvador and Colombia, settled in the town to raise Andrés and his older brother, Henry. Against his better judgment, Andrés also decides to attend his 20-year high school reunion, which brings up all sorts of emotions and memories, not the least of which is growing up both gay and the child of brown-skinned immigrants. That is largely the subtext--the test is the reliving of previous relationships with men in high school who are now married with children. The subtitle of this would be "you Can't Go Home--But If You Do, Be Prepared". It is the emotional roller coaster you would expect.

The Devil's Highvway by Luis Alberto Urrea

This book was published almost 20 years ago and describes how the immigration system in the US is broken on every level. He describes a particular crossing of a dangerous part of the border in a desert with no shelter or water that lead to multiple deaths and for those who survived, a costly rescue and resuscitation effort. The author is best known for his depiction of the border country. He portrays the Coyotes as people who exploit immigrants for money; for them, the goal is to get people across the border under whatever conditions are convenient. This includes packaging people in trunks and leading them into hazardous terrain, all while simultaneously extorting most of their money and savings. Ultimately, most immigrants have limited education and understanding of the border, and can’t find other options for entry. The amount of money that is spent rescuing people from the desert could be better spent on improving the circumstances in Central America and decreasing the situations that lead to the desperation that sends people northward .

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

The NY Times review of this subtitled it "The Reluctant Immigrant" and that captures the book. And perhaps a long-standing group of Irish immigrants. Maybe more than a few Italians as well, if the scenario in "The Golden Door" are to be believed. The premise is that 1950's Ireland is unable to sustain the population it has, that the opportunities for education are minimal and that even the educated can't find jobs within Ireland that utilize their education, and that someone from every family has to go even further away than England to find work and support the family. Eilis is just such a person from her family. She is not going to anything and she is not escaping anything--she is unlike the early waves of American immigrants. She is hard-working and smart, taken under the wing of a Catholic priest who not only helps her find opportunities to better herself, but doesn't dissuade her from her love affair with an up and coming Italian boy. She is finding a new beginning.
Then the homeland beckons her. She returns after her sister suddenly dies, and is very easily swept up in the life she left--until her secrets from America come creeping up to haunt her and she returns there. Not so much because she misses it, though, but because she has made choices that don't allow her to stay in Ireland. The book has a bittersweet tone throughout, which I think captures the mood of those who leave a place they love and where they are loved in turn--but feel they have to go.