Transnational Organizations and the Political Incorporation of Immigrants in the United States - Phase Two

Some immigration scholars have argued that transnationalism has weakened the desire of immigrants to incorporate politically and socially into U.S. life. Others suggest that involvement with one’s country of origin can facilitate incorporation by providing experience that can be usefully applied to domestic political issues. In November 2004, the Foundation gave support to Alejandro Portes for a project on transnationalism and the political incorporation of Latin American immigrants in the United States aimed at assessing how different types of organizations affect immigrant communities and promote or impede their incorporation into mainstream American life. In the first part of this project, Portes interviewed the leaders of more than sixty groups that deal with Dominican, Colombian, or Mexican issues. Now, the Foundation has now given support to Professor Portes to conduct follow-up interviews, analyze his data, and write-up the results of this work. Portes will examine the relationship between an organization’s characteristics (e.g. size, age, scope, and principal activities) and the political and civic behavior of its members. Portes will co-author a book with Cristina Escobar on these results.