Threading Political Ecologies: How Anti-Immigration Legislature Reshapes Latino-Serving Organizations in Conservative States

• In Event: 30480 - Mobilization and Contemporary Democratic Elections: Coping with Violence & Extremism

Abstract

In Oklahoma’s sociopolitical landscape, where Latinos comprise thirteen percent of the population (Rahill, Gray, and Hill 2023; Smith 2024) yet remain politically underrepresented (Ramos 2023), Latino-serving organizations navigate an increasingly hostile environment shaped by the state’s enduring Republican dominance since the 1960s (Gaddie n.d.). The resurgent Trump administration has catalyzed state-level officials’ support of drastic anti-immigration policies. In support of the administration, his followers and the media’s perpetuation of anti-immigration rhetoric pushes intermediary organizations to reimagine their operational ecologies and create adaptive strategies that sustain vulnerable communities while contesting the restrictive political environment marginalizing the Latino experience in this non-traditional migration destination.
Through ethnographic observation and document analysis, I examine how Oklahoma policies proposed and passed in 2024 to 2025 transform Latino-serving organizations in response to political pressures. Preliminary findings from ethnographic work show that non-profit, for-profit, and grassroots community organizations develop coalitional labor practices that distribute risk across networks, create hybrid service models merging skill sets, and leverage digital spaces to circumvent physical surveillance. These are not merely adaptive strategies but instead represent a fundamental reimagining of organizational labor and community care.
Drawing on structuration theories, I conceptualize these dynamics as an ecological framework where organizations are not passive recipients of policy but active agents reshaping the boundaries of their work (El Zaatari and Maalouf 2022). The politics of visibility surrounding Latino communities, where Latinos are racialized and marked as “perpetual foreigners” regardless of citizenship status, creates a precarious environment where belonging is continually contested (Flores-Gonzalez 2017; Watson 2024). This research illuminates how, in the absence of state-level integration programs, local organizations become crucial intermediaries, not just supporting communities but actively challenging dominant political narratives through innovative service models and collaborative practices.

Author

• Wendy K Dedmond, University of Oklahoma