Agency and State-level Predictors of Immigration Enforcement by State and Local Police in the US

• In Event: Immigration Enforcement and Social Control

Abstract

State and local law enforcement agencies' participation in enforcing immigration law has become a focal point of US politics. The multi-jurisdictional patchwork of immigration enforcement has led to confusion among agencies and the public. Using the 2020 wave of the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey, this study analyzes the relationship between immigration enforcement practices and agency-level characteristics like community policing, internal policies on immigration, formalization, and diversity. We also analyze state-level variables to determine how external policies correlate with practices. Our sample of 1605 agencies shows stricter enforcement is associated with certain variables, including codified internal policies, a white Chief, and being a sheriff's department, when controlling for the state an agency is in. External predictors of increased enforcement include an agency being in a Republican state, while decreases in immigration enforcement practices were associated with an agency being in a state with sanctuary policies. Finally, we analyze all agency-level and state-level variables to determine which affects agency enforcement practices more. We find that external policies have a greater effect than organizational characteristics and agency policies.

Authors

• Alexander Hagan, University of Illinois Chicago

• Jeffrey Nowacki, Colorado State University