Race, Ethnicity, and the Processing of Criminal Immigration Cases in U.S. Federal Courts: A Longitudinal Multilevel Perspective

• In Event: Neglected Variables and Racial Disparity in Criminal Case Processing

Abstract

In recent decades, immigration and criminal law have intersected in a process known as crimmigration. Consequently, the number of criminal immigration cases entering U.S. federal courts has proliferated – now comprising the largest group of offenses at arrest and booking and the second largest group of offenses at sentencing. The increasing punitive treatment of immigration offenses has largely been in response to a period of rapid Latino population growth in combination with several notable terroristic incidents. Given this context, scholars have documented concerns over the targeting and harsher treatment of immigrants of color particularly in districts with a large or growing Latino or immigrant presence. Yet, very little empirical sentencing work has examined these types of cases due to their unique nature. Accordingly, the present study draws on the minority threat and focal concerns perspectives to examine whether racial and ethnic disparity within immigration cases varies by district and over time. Both multilevel and longitudinal analyses will be conducted for various federal court outcomes. Findings will be discussed as well as implications for criminal justice policies, practice, and research.

Author

• Laura Beckman, Shippensburg University