Immigration Dimensions of Local Governance: Municipalities, Neighborhoods, and Citizenship

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

Immigration policy-making is of national and even international importance, but is also something that manifests locally, within the cities, communities, and neighborhoods where people actually live. Federal officials have encouraged local officials to join federal enforcement initiatives, and local residents have advocated for local immigration policies in their communities. Municipal officials have responded to these pressures by enacting a wide range of policies that intentionally or inadvertently address immigration. Schools may be asked to provide proof of enrollment for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals applications, local public health initiatives may need to consider noncitizens’ eligibility for medical insurance, housing assistance may be limited to citizens and lawful permanent residents, and more. The everyday and mundane administrative practices carried out by city personnel shape opportunities for immigrants in their new communities. This project investigates how the issue of immigration influences the policies and administrative practices of local government. Understanding how localities participate in the dynamics that shape immigration policy-making more broadly is key to the well-being of local communities and of our nation. The project performs in-depth research on city agencies and neighborhood associations in Long Beach, California. Long Beach is a strategic case for this type of study because it is a mid-sized city with a population of 467,000 residents, it was ranked the 10th most diverse large city in the nation, and is located between liberal leaning Los Angeles and conservative leaning Orange County. The study casts a wide net over the policies of different city agencies and departments. The study employs several sources of information: (1) the research team will collect and analyze forms, policy documents, and outreach materials from key city departments. (2) Interviews will be conducted with public officials in these key departments. Interviews will focus on how officials conceptualize the communities they serve, what they see as the key sectors within these communities, and how they engage these publics. (3) To access community perspectives, the research team will perform in-depth fieldwork within selected neighborhood associations over the two years of the study and will interview neighborhood association members and leadership. This data will provide insight into the issues that community members care about and how they pressure public officials to be more inclusive, more restrictive, or both. (4) To supplement interview data, field observations will be conducted in public settings where city officials interact with community members. Such settings may include community fairs, educational presentations, public meetings, and agency outreach. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.