Cover image for
Title:
Welcoming new Americans? : local governments and immigrant incorporation / Abigail Fisher Williamson.
Author:
Williamson, Abigail Fisher, author.
Publication Information:
Chicago, IL : The University of Chicago Press, 2018.

©2018
Call Number:
JV6483 .W54 2018
Abstract:
"Even as Donald Trump's election has galvanized anti-immigration politics, many local governments have welcomed immigrants, some even going so far as to declare their communities "sanctuary cities." But efforts to assist immigrants are not limited to large, politically liberal cities. Since the 1990s, many small to mid-sized cities and towns across the United States have implemented a range of informal practices that help immigrant populations integrate into their communities. Abigail Fisher Williamson explores why and how local governments across the country are taking steps to accommodate immigrants, sometimes despite serious political opposition. Drawing on case studies of four new immigrant destinations - Lewiston, Maine; Wausau, Wisconsin; Elgin, Illinois; and Yakima, Washington - as well as a national survey of local government officials, she finds that local capacity and immigrant visibility influence whether local governments take action to respond to immigrants. State and federal policies and national political rhetoric shape officials' framing of immigrants, thereby influencing how municipalities respond. Bringing her findings into the present, Williamson explores whether the current trend toward accommodation will continue given Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric and changes in federal immigration policy"--Back cover.
ISBN:
9780226572512

9780226572659
Physical Description:
xii, 389 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Contents:
Introduction -- Local government responses to immigrants. Municipal responses across four new immigrant destinations -- Municipal responses nationwide : frequent inaction, substantial accommodation, rare restriction -- Explaining local government responses to immigrants. Federal policies, national politics, and local understanding of immigrants -- Beyond bureaucrats : elected and appointed officials' incentives for accommodation -- The civil rights legacy, external scrutiny, and reining in restrictive response -- Local government responses and consequences for immigrant incorporation. The select few : municipal accommodation and elite collaboration -- Municipal accommodation : generating welcome or backlash? -- Conclusion.
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