Ethnic competition in a divided America: The wall and the “Hispanic threat”

Abstract

AbstractDuring his electoral campaign and while in office, President Donald Trump expressed his desire to build a wall along the US–Mexico border to control migration. Analyzing the conditions, circumstances, and demands of those Americans who want a wall with Mexico and Latin America is an imperative to understand better US–Latin American relations and ethnic competition not only during the Trump administration, but also in Joseph Biden's presidency. In this article, we argue, through quantitative analysis, that multiple factors, both individual and contextual, have a significant effect on the stance that US citizens have about immigration and the construction of the wall. Our study demonstrates that, in addition to sociodemographic variables, the distribution of the Hispanic population across the 50 US states generates a “Hispanic threat” which, as understood through ethnic competition theory, is a significant factor affecting Americans' views on the wall and immigration.