The Effect of Local Immigration Policy & Enforcement on Police-Immigrant Community Relations

• In Event: Immigration, Community Context, and Crime

Abstract

The current study examines the effects of state level immigration policy and local enforcement on Latino immigrant families in a small community in the Midwest during a time of rapid demographic change, economic instability, a volatile political and social context, and a dramatic rise in immigration related legislation and enforcement of immigration laws by state and local authorities. We describe the manifestation of local immigration related policies and their enforcement and consider their impact on legal cynicism and perceptions of justice, police-community interactions, and community trust and cohesion among immigrant families. Data are part of a larger ethnographic study on the experiences of immigrant Latino families navigating the post-secondary school educational pipeline in North Central Indiana. The larger ethnography included participant observations, active participation, in-depth interviews, and multiple interactions with the respondents to generate a more complete picture of the lives of the participants. We draw on data from in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with 40 families. We use direct quotations to examine the consequences of local immigration policy and enforcement on authorized and unauthorized Latino immigrants and their families, and discuss implications for policy and practice, including implications of recent changes in immigration enforcement priorities.

Authors

• Jorge M Chavez, Bowling Green State University

• Ruben Viramontez Anguiano, University of Colorado Denver

• Christine Englebrecht, Center for Family and Demographic Research

• Mariana del Hierro, University of Colorado Denver