Sub-federal Immigration Policy and Belonging

Co-funded with the Carnegie Corporation

Arizona’s 2010 bill, SB1070, is emblematic of the unwelcoming turn in immigration policy. Although never fully implemented because of judicial rulings on its constitutionality, the law requires state law enforcement officers to assess an individual’s immigration status during a stop or arrest when there is “reasonable suspicion.” In contrast, many other cities, counties, and states, including Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis, Baltimore, Santa Clara County (CA), New Mexico, Iowa, and Michigan have taken concrete steps to offer a welcoming environment for immigrants. Understanding the effects of such non-federal policies is important because they may influence the social attitudes of both citizens and immigrants.

Previous studies have examined attitudes toward immigrants and immigration nationally, and the general processes that shape these attitudes. Drawing on theoretical and methodological perspectives from sociology, political science and psychology, Tomás Jiménez, Deborah Schildkraut, Yuen Huo, and John Dovidio will extend and complement an earlier RSF study on the extent to which varying state approaches to immigration in Arizona (a state with unwelcoming immigration policies) and New Mexico (a state with welcoming polices) affect attitudes about belonging and evaluations of ethno-racial outgroups among native-born non-Hispanic whites and Latinos (both native-born citizen and foreign-born citizens and noncitizens).