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A Multilayered Jurisdictional Patchwork: Immigration Federalism in the United States
Author(s) -
VARSANYI MONICA W.,
LEWIS PAUL G.,
PROVINE DORIS MARIE,
DECKER SCOTT
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
law and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.534
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1467-9930
pISSN - 0265-8240
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9930.2011.00356.x
Subject(s) - immigration , federalism , enforcement , political science , law enforcement , criminology , government (linguistics) , immigration detention , immigration law , public administration , law , politics , sociology , linguistics , philosophy
This article focuses on the immigration‐related demands currently being placed on local police in the United States and the emergence of what we call a “multilayered jurisdictional patchwork” (MJP) of immigration enforcement. We report results from nationwide surveys of city police chiefs and county sheriffs and intensive fieldwork in three jurisdictions. The enforcement landscape we describe is complicated by the varying and overlapping responsibilities of sheriffs and city police, and by the tendency for sheriffs to maintain closer relationships with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities. We conclude by reflecting on the implications of the MJP—for immigrants, for their communities, and for the evolving relationship between levels of government in the federal system.