Navigating the Immigrants and Refugees Nonprofit Institutional Fields under the Second Trump Administration

• In Event: International Migration Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 19. Immigrant organizations

Abstract

As more immigrants and refugees have settled outside traditional immigrant-receiving metropolitan areas, sociologists have paid more attention to how mid-sized cities have responded to growing immigrant and refugee populations. In the last presidential election, these cities have also received increased attention due to Donald Trump’s attacks on their immigrant populations (e.g. Haitians in Ohio) during his campaign and presidency. These cities have become important sites where communities push back against Trump’s immigration policy changes, and the increasing arrests and detention of immigrants, and, in some cases, citizens perceived to be non-citizens due to their race.

In this presentation, we share findings from in-depth, semi-structured interviews of 22 individuals who are executive directors and staff of community organizations that serve immigrants and refugees in Spokane County. Applying a new institutional perspective with an emphasis on race and immigration status, we examine how community organizations navigate the current political and racial climate under the 2nd Trump Administration after experiencing a period of growth in the Biden administration. We analyze how individuals and their organizations manage relationships with their counterparts, build and maintain trust, and serve their clients under bureaucratic and environmental constraints while working in coalitions to respond to new threats such as federal funding and policy changes. We examine how individuals and organizations address complex racial politics around immigration in a predominately white and politically conservative region. Finally, we explore how individuals view elected officials and government agencies in terms of their roles and responsibilities in meeting the needs of immigrants and refugees in their communities.

Authors

• Pui-Yan Lam, Eastern Washington University

• Jason Scully, Eastern Washington University

• Jasmine Joy Paloma, Eastern Washington University

• Christian Agyei, Eastern Washington University