Linking Immigration and Terrorism in the Post 9/11 Era

• In Event: 023 - Regular Session. Latino/as

Abstract

‘Illegal’ immigration and ‘terrorism’ have been the objects of United States national security in contemporary times. While each construction has garnered much attention as individual phenomenon, this paper explains how these issues have been linked in order to surveil Latino immigrants and Muslims after the events of September 11, 2001. This study historically traces the rhetoric of politicians, creation of policy and the action of state institutions to explain how issues surrounding Latinos and Muslims have been used to surveil both groups more extensively. Using government reports, media accounts, and secondary data, we find that immigration and terrorism have been linked with one another to garner political support, create surveillance policy and to combine state agencies and resources in order to target both groups.

Authors

• Luis Romero, The University of Texas at Austin

• Amina Zarrugh, Texas Christian University