HISPANIC GROWTH IN RURAL AMERICA: PUBLIC POLICY AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS IMMIGRANTS

Abstract

Immigration has historically been a federal issue; recently however, localities, counties, and states have passed their own laws aimed at immigrants. The majority of these ordinances have occurred at the local-level, and in particular, in small rural towns. This research examines what makes rural towns different from urban areas and why some rural towns have decided to pass immigrant ordinances in their community. Previous studies suggest that ideology and partisanship drive attitudes towards immigrants and policy, however, their data does not account for geographic location. Geographic location is an important element that needs to be included when investigating the local immigrant policy support. Because of the dynamics in a small town, the limited resources available, rural residents are more psychologically anxious and threatened by recent immigrants than urban residents. The increases in Latino population throughout rural America are heightened by the fact that there are few areas of education, worship, and recreation in small towns. These demographic changes make rural residents feel like they are losing important political and economic power due to immigrants. The perception of loss by rural residents leads them to be more likely to support local immigrant ordinances in their community as a way to diminish the Latino presence and discourage further immigration into their town. With this research, I am adding another dimension into scholarly knowledge on the factors that shape immigrant policy attitudes. By including geographic location and psychological factors, I move past the "who" supports immigrant ordinances and a clearer picture emerges of why some people support these local laws.