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City Government Activists and the Rights of Undocumented Immigrants: Fostering Urban Citizenship within the Confines of US Federalism
Author(s) -
de Graauw Els
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
antipode
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.177
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1467-8330
pISSN - 0066-4812
DOI - 10.1111/anti.12660
Subject(s) - citizenship , immigration , federalism , politics , public administration , government (linguistics) , political science , democracy , scholarship , immigration reform , sociology , political economy , law , immigration policy , philosophy , linguistics
With the US federal government more aggressive in its efforts to find, detain, and deport undocumented immigrants, certain government officials in American cities have promoted urban citizenship for undocumented immigrants in their jurisdictions. Often acting on demands from community organisations, these activist city officials have developed policies and practices that include undocumented immigrants in public service provision, formal rights protections, and democratic participation modes. Drawing on scholarship on urban citizenship, urban politics, and multi‐level governance, this article analyses how we can understand these officials’ actions in a system where the federal government has monopoly power over immigration and citizenship matters. Based on the recent experiences of New York City and San Francisco, this article shows that government activists in these cities have promoted urban citizenship for undocumented immigrants by pushing against the confines of US federalism while also reaffirming traditional understandings of national citizenship, thus practicing disruption and conformity simultaneously.