This research focuses on the response of local police departments and sheriffs to the possibility of becoming more directly and formally involved in enforcing federal immigration laws. The federal government has facilitated such partnerships with legislation and administrative action providing training and logistical support. Some local governments are urging their local police to take advantage of these opportunities.

Municipal police, however, must consider their own resource limitations, their legal obligation to avoid racial profiling, and their professional commitment to community policing, which involves building trust and confidence among all residents. Police departments, in short, must somehow balance American ideals about trusting, open communities with commitment to the rule of law as they confront unauthorized immigrants. The dilemma is sharp in small cities and towns where police policies, whether announced or not, quickly become part of common knowledge and affect behavior accordingly.

This research examines the issues of membership, security, and federal relations raised by local policing of immigration at both macro and micro levels. The first phase of the research is a survey of approximately 500 police departments in municipalities with less than 65,000 residents and a sample of approximately 300 sheriffs. Samples will be drawn from areas with a significant number of foreign-born residents. The second phase of the research focuses on decision-making at the micro level regarding immigration policing, and its consequences for residents. Four jurisdictions will be selected for case studies, using the survey results for guidance.

The emergence of local/federal immigration policing partnerships has important implications for governance in an increasingly diverse society. Is the ideal of transparent, accountable governance jeopardized by delegation of some law-enforcement decisions to the local level? How responsive is the emerging multi-layered system to concerns about racial profiling? How do police practices shape the meaning of membership in contemporary American society?

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SES)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
0921202
Program Officer
Susan Sterett
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2009-09-01
Budget End
2012-08-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$321,172
Indirect Cost
Name
Arizona State University
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Tempe
State
AZ
Country
United States
Zip Code
85281