Are Anti-Immigrant Statements Racist or Nativist? What Difference Does it Make?

Abstract

Press-media accounts of anti-immigrant statements question whether the statements were racist, but typically not whether they were nativist. The absence of the term “nativism” in the press-media is striking given the long history of anti-immigrant legislation, policies, and attitudes in the US. The absence of “nativism” obscures the historical patterns of anti-immigrant sentiment from previous eras. Two cases of anti-immigrant statements as reported in newspaper articles and as interpreted in editorials were analysed. The implications of distinguishing nativism from racism for policy outcomes, for making visible prejudice directed against Latinas/os, and for understanding the place of Latinas/os within the nation are explored.