Engaging through Exclusion: How Undocumented Latinx Immigrants in the Midwest Have Emerged As Vote Influencers to Ensure Thier Interests Are Represented in Elections

Background and Purpose:

The 2016 Presidential campaign and election push undocumented immigrants and immigration reform back into forefront of the national conversation. It also increased the negative rhetoric surrounding undocumented immigrants and mixed status families that provided a stark contrast to how these individuals were constructed under the previous presidential administration. The events of the 2016 Presidential election combined with the uncertainty surrounding the recession of the deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) have combined to create a significant external stressor that has the potential to fundamentally change how undocumented Latinx populations engage in political participation (Pearlin and Bierman 2013:326-7). The current social context provides a unique opportunity to examine how immigration policy, the social construction of target groups, and policy feedback effects combine to influence how undocumented Latinx immigrants engage in political participation in the United States.

This project addresses the following research question, has the political participation of undocumented Latinx immigrants changed since the 2016 Presidential election if so, how? Political participation is especially relevant in the field social work because it has long been used as a measure of immigrant assimilation and incorporation and as a target for social work advocacy-based interventions aimed at empowering undocumented groups.

Methods

I conducted 34 in-depth interviews with undocumented Latinx immigrants. Snowball sampling was used to recruit participants. Interviews were conducted in secure locations on campus, within the respondent’s home, at community organizations, or via telephone and video chat. Interviews were transcribed and then uploaded to Dedoose to be coded. A combination of flexible, open, and focused coding methods was used to analyze the data.

Results:

The results of the 2016 Presidential election have motivated some respondents to engage in more visible types of traditional political participation such as public protests, engaging with elected officials, and sharing their own immigration story in public spaces. One especially interesting form of political participation has been to adopt a vote influencer role within their social networks. Many of the undocumented Latinx immigrants I spoke with felt a greater urgency to make sure that their political interests were represented within elections, despite being formally excluded from this process. These undocumented Latinx immigrants made sure that their interest were represented by engaging with documented peers to convince them to vote on their behalf. By serving as the "go to" source for political information these individuals helped to push their friends and family members to vote in a way that was beneficial to them. This became one of the most prominent ways that the undocumented community I spoke with engaged in political participation.

Conclusions:

Social workers should take a community centered approach to build local support of undocumented Latinx communities. This includes providing undocumented Latinx immigrants with training around sharing their stories, developing public narratives, and providing the support necessary for them to develop into effective vote influencers within their communities. This in term can empower undocumented populations as they advocate for more inclusive immigration policies at the institutional, state, and federal level.