Stuck between a rock and a hard place: the relationship between Latino/a's personal connections to immigrants and issue salience and presidential approval

Abstract

The Obama administration has simultaneously marketed the prospect of providing undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship through comprehensive immigration reform and overseen mass deportations of mostly Latino immigrants. While it is clear that immigration policy was highly influential to Latino voters in 2012, it remains unclear how this political hypocrisy is being interpreted by Latino voters. As deportations have risen steadily during the Obama administration, there has been little research on how deportations and personal connections to undocumented immigrants have influenced the political attitudes of the Latino/a electorate. Using a nationally representative survey of 800 registered Latino/a voters administered in 2013, we explore the relationships between personal connections to undocumented immigrants and issue salience among Latinos as well as Latinos’ views of President Obama. This study finds that registered Latino voters who know deportees and undocumented immigrants are more likely to report that they think the President and Congress should act on immigration policy versus all other policies. Moreover, Latino voters who know someone who is undocumented are less likely to have favorable views towards President Obama. This study has implications for our collective knowledge of how direct and indirect connections to policy outcomes influences the political behavior of the highly influential Latino/a electorate and how political and policy outcomes will be influenced in the future when a much higher proportion of the electorate have such connections.

Do Latinos still support immigrant rights activism? Examining Latino attitudes a decade after the 2006 protest wave

“…We use this measure as a proxy to gauge feelings of anxiety and concern about immigration enforcement that may be detrimental to individuals in their lives. Research has shown that immigration is a highly personal and salient issue to Latinos in part because of how it affects their families, neighbors, friends, and communities (Wallace 2012;Sanchez et al 2015). We expect that individuals who express high levels of concern about potential immigration enforcement will also be more likely to support immigrant rights activism.…”

“…Research has shown that immigration is a highly personal and salient issue to Latinos in part because of how it affects their families, neighbors, friends, and communities (Wallace 2012;Sanchez et al 2015). In fact, these types of personal social networks played a key role in motivating and mobilizing many Latinos to participate in the historic 2006 protest wave (Bloemraad and Trost 2008;Zepeda-Millan 2016).…”

The Ripple Effect: The Political Consequences of Proximal Contact with Immigration Enforcement

“…Moreover, researchers do not find that having a loved one threatened by detention or deportation is politically alienating (Rocha, Knoll, and Wrinkle 2015; Vargas, Sanchez, and Valdez 2017), even as it shapes policy attitudes (Rocha, Knoll, and Wrinkle 2015; Sanchez et al 2015). The policy feedbacks literature suggests that when individuals view experiences with punitive policies as a result of their own poor choices or beyond their ability to affect change (both markers of alienation), they politically withdraw.…”

“…Scholars refer to experiencing punitive policies vicariously via a loved one as proximal contact and demonstrate its political impact in the areas of criminal justice, healthcare, and welfare (Michener 2018; Soss and Schram 2007; Walker 2014). With respect to immigration, scholars find that among Latinos, proximal contact negatively impacts physical and mental health (Aranda, Menjivar, and Donato 2014; Pedraza, Nichols, and LeBrón 2017; Vargas, Sanchez, and Valdez 2017), and erodes trust in government and belief in the efficacy of political institutions (Rocha, Knoll, and Wrinkle 2015; Sanchez et al 2015).…”

How to Sound the Alarms: Untangling Racialized Threat in Latinx Mobilization

“…As mentioned previously, however, threat may prompt political demobilization and isolation. Sanchez et al (2015) showed that individuals who are close to an undocumented person prioritize immigration issues in making political decisions; however, such attention may not translate into political action. Threat may create risk-averse behaviors among racialized populations, hindering civic or political involvement.…”