{"id":11035,"date":"2021-12-02T18:22:45","date_gmt":"2021-12-02T18:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/?p=11035"},"modified":"2021-12-02T18:22:46","modified_gmt":"2021-12-02T18:22:46","slug":"local-policies-shape-the-political-participation-of-undocumented-residents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/2021\/12\/02\/local-policies-shape-the-political-participation-of-undocumented-residents\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Policies Shape the Political Participation of Undocumented Residents"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n Angela S Garc\u00eda, <\/span>“Undocumented, not Unengaged: Local Immigration Laws and the Shaping of Undocumented Mexicans\u2019 Political Engagement ,” Social Forces<\/em>,<\/a><\/span> 2021<\/span><\/div>\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Image: Marchers at a May Day Immigration March hold a sign that reads “Ningun Ser Humano Es Ilegal!!” or “No human being is illegal<\/em>.” Image courtesy of Jonathan McIntosh<\/a>, CC-BY-2.5<\/a>. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>Every four years, political parties court Latinx voters, an elusive but increasingly powerful bloc sometimes referred to as the \u201csleeping giant.\u201d<\/a>. Immigration and the rights of the undocumented are key issues for these voters, not only abstractly but also directly shaping undocumented residents\u2019 political engagement. Sociologist Angela Garc\u00eda<\/a> argues that local immigration policies shape undocumented Mexicans\u2019 political engagement and participation in public life both positively and negatively.Angela Garc\u00eda<\/a> argues that local immigration policies shape undocumented Mexicans\u2019 political engagement both positively and negatively<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garc\u00eda conducted almost 100 interviews with undocumented Mexican immigrants in two cities in Southern California, Escondido and Santa Ana, both near the US\/Mexico border. She also observed events, marches, and town hall meetings to examine undocumented residents\u2019 responses to local immigration policies which contrasted starkly in the two cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Escondido, a San Diego suburb, restrictive immigration policies curtail employment, restrict rentals, and allow for collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Measures banning day laborers and driver’s license checkpoints were intended to incite fear among undocumented residents. Conversely, Santa Ana, located 75 miles north, had more accommodating policies, including advocacy for DREAMers and sanctuary city protections. Garc\u00eda found that these contrasting immigration policies shaped undocumented residents\u2019 political participation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Escondido, with its more restrictive policies, undocumented residents expressed hesitation in confronting local leaders and politicians. In Santa Ana, in contrast, residents more fully embraced their rights, engaging in grassroots politics, attending city council meetings, and even advocating for issues unrelated to immigration, like bike lanes. Garc\u00eda found that even in hostile Escondido undocumented residents overcame barriers to political participation and mobilized in response to restrictive policies, like a proposed measure barring immigrants from rentals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By highlighting how community members respond to immigration policies, this study illustrates how  local political climates can both constrain and empower undocumented immigrants\u2019 political action. Although local context can provide roadblocks to undocumented migrants\u2019 political participation Garc\u00eda\u2019s work also shows the potential for these same conditions to inspire collective organizing and mobilization. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Angela S Garc\u00eda, “Undocumented, not Unengaged: Local Immigration Laws and the Shaping of Undocumented Mexicans\u2019 Political Engagement ,” Social Forces, 2021 Every four years, political parties court Latinx voters, an elusive but increasingly powerful bloc sometimes referred to as the \u201csleeping giant.\u201d. Immigration and the rights of the undocumented are key issues for these voters, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2106,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11035"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11041,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11035\/revisions\/11041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/discoveries\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}