Accommodation to Retaliation

• In Event: Causes and Consequences of Contemporary Immigration Policy

Abstract

Federal policies impacting the undocumented have become substantially more punitive
over the last decade. However, municipal governments have increasingly sought to counteract these policies with local accommodation measures. While the literature on the effects of policies that target specific racial and ethnic groups is well developed, there is no consistent theory regarding the interaction between federal and local
policies on targeted populations. I argue that as municipal governments increasingly
allocate resources and political protections for undocumented immigrant populations,
federal immigration enforcement activities also increase. To test this theory, I utilize
Williamson’s 2016 survey of municipal governments (MRIS16) alongside enforcement
data on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) foreign-born removals supplemented
with demographic data provided by the American Communities Survey (ACS). I find mixed support for my theory. Municipal governments with increased immigrant accommodations do experience increased federal deportations in the area, but the relationship is dependent on local contextual factors and enforcement type.

Authors

• Rachel Torres, James Madison University

• Abigail Fisher Williamson, Trinity College