Immigration Policy Research Articles

Population decline and public attitudes toward multicultural immigration policies in South Korea

AbstractPopulation decline due to low fertility and aging causes socioeconomic challenges such as a shrinking labour force and regional decline. In response to these challenges, there is a growing discussion about accepting immigrants to mitigate the side effects of population decline. This implies the importance of analyzing local peoples' perceptions as a basis of policy and planning in anticipation of demographic transitions toward a multicultural society. While there are many studies on local problems caused by depopulation and perceptions of immigrants based on contact theory and group threat theory, there has been relatively little research on the relationship between depopulation and individual perceptions of immigrants. This study fills this gap by using survey data of Seoul, Korea, the city experiencing both population decline and an increase in immigrants. It employs the multilevel ordered logit model to explore how the decrease in local population associates with individuals' perception on the need for multicultural immigration policies. The results suggest that individuals are more likely to have a positive view of multicultural immigration policies if their region is experiencing a higher population decline. This finding is significant as it demonstrates that a shift to an unfavourable demographic structure can have a positive impact on perceptions of immigrant acceptance, offering a new perspective on the relationship between immigrants and native residents.

"The perfect storm": community worker perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 on New York City immigrants and migrant-serving organizations.

Immigrants in New York City (NYC) have higher COVID-19 mortality than the general population. While migrant-serving organizations (MSOs) provide access to a breadth of services, they are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to staffing limitations, funding cuts, and resource limitations of communities served. Six focus-group discussions were conducted to explore the experiences of MSOs in NYC during the COVID-19 pandemic from November 2021 to March 2022. Study participants csomprised a subsample of survey respondents from a larger study identified via lists of MSOs. Twenty-seven organizational representatives from 11 MSOs across NYC participated in the discussions. In addition to providing information on communities served, services offered, and organizational characteristics, the following themes emerged from the convenings: mental health challenges and resources needed for immigrants; immigration-related challenges; factors exacerbating hardships for immigrants during COVID-19; interorganizational collaborations and partnerships; policy change; and needs/requests of MSOs. MSOs provide a wide range of services as non-profit organizations and use interorganizational collaboration to improve service delivery. The proximity of MSOs to immigrant communities helps providers understand the needs of immigrants relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and factors that shape telehealth services. MSOs are important providers and advocates for immigration policy in the US given their relationship with the populations they serve. These findings have implications for how to support MSOs that serve immigrants in NYC. Strategies to achieve this include timelier availability and exchange of information, policies, and research as well as strengthening the experience-based advocacy of these groups.

“We Cannot Go There, They Cannot Come Here”: Dispersed Care, Asian Indian Immigrant Families and the COVID-19 Pandemic

“We Cannot Go There, They Cannot Come Here”: Dispersed Care, Asian Indian Immigrant Families and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Not everyone suffers equally: The effect of electoral overlap on mainstream party responses to radical right parties

The rise of radical right parties in Europe has led to a number of strategic responses from mainstream parties (MSPs). However, not all MSPs are equally affected by the rise of challenger parties. This idea has been neglected in much of the quantitative work in the field. This paper extends this argument and investigates electoral overlap in a cross-country study of multiparty systems. Using Propensity to Vote (PTV) data to measure the electoral overlap between MSPs and radical right parties in eight Western European countries, I estimate the effect of right-wing threat on the positions of MSPs on immigration. A higher threat of losing voters to the radical right is associated with a move towards more restrictive immigration policies; on the other hand, a party’s chance to win voters back from the radical right has no significant impact on its positions.

Prisons, Immigration, and the Right to a Livable Life in the Anthropocene: Reading Garrett Hardin and Michel Foucault

Abstract Critical work theorizing the nature of immigration imprisonment in relation to anthropogenically influenced ecological phenomena is in its infancy. Scholars have productively made sense of the modern carceral state's expansion by locating it within the framework of race and neoliberalism, registering the collateral damage essential to Western European whiteness and a neoliberal problematic. These framings of migrant incarceration continue to effectively serve a critical function. However, this essay argues that the historical character of immigration incarceration is in the process of changing in the face of real and imagined Anthropocene impacts. Increasingly, immigration is the result of ecological collapse, and taking race and neoliberalism as primary frameworks for understanding forces subtending the carceral system has become critically restrictive. This essay develops an environmental genealogy from historical references within Michel Foucault's work on the relationship between land enclosures and rise of the prison, in order to establish a larger constellation in which to think the event of immigration incarceration today. The essay places Foucault's work in conversation with the work of prominent ecologist and white nationalist Garrett Hardin, whose concurrent pro-enclosure work on immigration and the environment inaugurated a coercive truth discourse that has come to impact not only ecological disciplines in the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the environmental humanities but also current US immigration policy.

A Time When Bubbles Burst

An expanding body of work demonstrates that American food writing is extending its reach beyond pleasure and abundance to address systemic problems. It has gradually moved away from the practice of assigning status and value to certain foodways, a task predominantly performed by food authorities who did not reflect diverse backgrounds. Instead, recent food journalism engages in discussions regarding class, race, colonialism, ableism, weight stigma, labor rights, and immigration policies, among other pertinent social and political issues. Self-scrutiny is one of its distinguishing features. Much of this change was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which created the circumstances in which food writing became more self-reflexive and more likely to take a political stance. The central aim of this article is to center writings on restaurants to explore key insights from chefs and authors who explicitly reorient their work toward social justice. This shift can be identified in the Best American Food Writing series (2020–2021) and is supported by other contemporary works that discuss food and sociopolitical issues with an emphasis on the restaurant critic’s positionality. The article closes with a consideration of the long-term impact of the main reckoning that occurred in 2020.

Immigration Policies, Backlash, and School Bullying

This study leverages the rollout of restorative practices (RP) within Chicago Public Schools to investigate whether younger siblings in elementary school who are not directly exposed to RP are affected by their older siblings' RP exposure in high school. We find suggestive evidence that younger siblings' absent days decline in response to indirect RP exposure. In contrast, we do not find any evidence that indirect exposure affects perceived behavior or academic outcomes. Our analysis is intended to provide a useful data point for future work that more comprehensively assesses the scope for spillover effects associated with non-cognitive skill development.

Immigration status and adolescents’ voting intention in European countries: The importance of immigrant integration policy context

This article investigates whether policy efforts to integrate immigrants into society can have interpretive effects and motivate adolescents of immigrant origin in European countries to engage in the host country’s political system. We find that countries with more inclusive integration policies tend to have smaller gaps in voting intention between adolescents of immigrant origin and those not of immigrant origin, holding constant an array of individual and family politically relevant resources. Specifically, differences across countries in the inclusiveness of education policies appear to be a strong predictor of the magnitude of voting intention gaps between first-generation and native adolescents. In the case of second-generation vs. native gaps in voting intention, the inclusiveness of citizenship acquisition policies emerges as a key predictor. In these times of strong polarization and anti-immigration discourse across Europe, our findings are particularly relevant for policymakers and researchers in their efforts to address what might be done to help promote the long-term political integration of immigrants and their descendants.

Externalisation of Migration Controls: A Taxonomy of Practices and Their Implications in International and European Law

The externalisation of migration and border controls refers to a series of practices whereby States attempt to manage migration flows and enforce immigration policies beyond their borders, often by collaborating with other countries or non-state actors. Externalisation can involve various measures such as outsourcing border control functions, implementing agreements with neighbouring or transit countries to intercept migrants before they reach the State’s territory, and providing aid or incentives for other countries to prevent or reduce migration flows. Externalisation practices are employed to shift the burden of migration management away from the receiving state and onto other actors or territories, often to limit responsibilities and on the assumption that human rights obligations only apply territorially. In an attempt to challenge such an assumption and to frame the nature of human rights obligations in the context of externalisation practices, this article develops a taxonomy of externalisation measures and provides an overview of the jurisdictional approaches to the extraterritorial scope of human rights obligations.

Supporting Migrant Children in Pediatric Settings: Lessons Learned from the US Migrant Humanitarian Crisis Response.

This article examines the influx of migrants to the United States and highlights current global and local immigration trends. The authors focus on migrant children-specifically the effect of migration trauma in the context of humanitarian responses to the intentional movement of migrants to Democrat-led cities across the US to humanize the compounded effects of migration trauma, restrictive immigration policies, and the current resettlement landscape for migrants. The authors are directly involved with supporting migrant arrivals who have relocated to Chicago from the southern border, and apply field knowledge to articulate current barriers to accessing health care and best practices within pediatric settings supporting migrant arrivals. Clinical and practice implications for medical providers in pediatric settings are included. The article also highlights the role of interdisciplinary collaboration in providing health care to asylum-seeking migrants and implications for transdisciplinary workforce development in this area. [Pediatr Ann. 2024;53(5):e171-e177.].

‘다문화학생’ 대상 대학입학 특별전형에서 나타나는 선별적 통합

This paper focuses on examining the realities of integration and exclusion within the university education system, with a particular emphasis on the opportunity equalization measures targeting multicultural students. By reviewing the eligibility criteria for special admissions targeting multicultural students for the university entrance, the analysis explores the institutional situations in the higher education selection system for multicultural students based on their respective immigration backgrounds and identifies which multicultural students are included in the integration process. To accomplish this, the paper analyzes the admission guidelines of 29 major domestic universities, focusing on the special admissions for foreign students and admissions targeting multicultural students from multicultural households within the opportunity equalization measures. In the primary and secondary education stages, there has been active integration of “multicultural children” into school education through “multicultural education” policies, regardless of distinct differentiation based on students' immigration backgrounds. However, in the university entrance stage, the opportunities for admission and special admissions are differentiated based on immigration backgrounds, nationalities, and legal statuses related to immigration policies (immigration control system). Consequently, the target of inclusion in the multicultural education is not consistent, and the fragmented nature of integration measures at different education stages leads to a phenomenon where the guarantee of higher education opportunities for children from foreign households and adolescents with mid-term immigration is not realized.

Anxious Activists? Examining Immigration Policy Threat, Political Engagement, and Anxiety among College Students with Different Self/Parental Immigration Statuses.

Restrictive immigration policies harm the mental health of undocumented immigrants and their U.S. citizen family members. As a sociopolitical stressor, threat to family due to immigration policy can heighten anxiety, yet it is unclear whether political engagement helps immigrant-origin students to cope. We used a cross-sectional survey of college students from immigrant families (N = 2,511) to investigate whether anxiety symptomatology was associated with perceived threat to family and if political engagement moderated this relationship. We stratified analyses by self/parental immigration statuses-undocumented students, U.S. citizens with undocumented parents, and U.S. citizens with lawfully present parents-to examine family members' legal vulnerability. Family threat was significantly associated with anxiety; higher levels of political engagement reduced the strength of this relationship. However, this moderation effect was significant only for U.S. citizens with lawfully present parents. These findings emphasize the importance of the family immigration context in shaping individuals' mental health outcomes.

Philadelphia Latine Immigrant Birthing People's Perspectives on Mitigating the Chilling Effect on Prenatal Care Utilization.

Community-engaged qualitative study using inductive thematic analysis of semistructured interviews. To understand Latine immigrants' recent prenatal care experiences and develop community-informed strategies to mitigate policy-related chilling effects on prenatal care utilization. Decreased health care utilization among immigrants due to punitive immigration policies (ie, the "chilling effect") has been well-documented among Latine birthing people both pre and postnatally. Currently or recently pregnant immigrant Latine people in greater Philadelphia were recruited from an obstetric clinic, 2 pediatric primary care clinics, and 2 community-based organization client pools. Thematic saturation was achieved with 24 people. Participants' pregnancy narratives and their perspectives on how health care providers and systems could make prenatal care feel safer and more comfortable for immigrants. Participants' recommendations for mitigating the chilling effect during the prenatal period included training prenatal health care providers to sensitively initiate discussions about immigrants' rights and reaffirm confidentiality around immigration status. Participants suggested that health care systems should expand sources of information for pregnant immigrants, either by partnering with community organizations to disseminate information or by increasing access to trusted individuals knowledgeable about immigrants' rights to health care. Participants also suggested training non-medical office staff in the use of interpreters. Immigrant Latine pregnant and birthing people in greater Philadelphia described ongoing fear and confusion regarding the utilization of prenatal care, as well as experiences of discrimination. Participants' suggestions for mitigating immigration-related chilling effects can be translated into potential policy and programmatic interventions which could be implemented locally and evaluated for broader applicability.

The Americanized Journey of Chinese Immigrants: The Media Representation of Chinese Immigrants in Disney’s Elemental (2023)

This paper explores the portrayal of Chinese immigrants in the animated film “Elemental,” using Roland Barthes’ semiotic framework to dissect the film’s narrative and thematic elements. “Elemental” serves as a modern allegory, reflecting the historical and ongoing struggles of Chinese immigrants in the United States, blending elements of cultural identity and adaptation within a fantastical setting. The film juxtaposes the fire element of immigrants with the traditional Chinese immigrant experience, examining themes of cultural integration, systemic discrimination, and the influence of media representation on public perceptions. Through denotative and connotative analyses, the research identifies how the film uses visual and verbal cues to construct a narrative that both challenges and perpetuates long-standing myths and stereotypes about Chinese immigrants. This study not only highlights the specific cinematic portrayal of Chinese immigrants but also discusses broader societal implications, including the impact of “Yellow Peril” propaganda and the role of media in shaping immigration policy discourse. The findings suggest that while “Elemental” contributes to a richer dialogue on cultural diversity, it also reveals the enduring complexities and challenges faced by Chinese immigrants in seeking acceptance and identity in a multicultural society.

The legacy of immigration policies and employment exclusion: Assessing the relationship between employment exclusions and immigrant health

Restrictive federal and state immigration policies create conditions of employment exclusion that may negatively influence the health of immigrants. In particular, these policy effects are reflected in labor market and workplace experiences that determine the types of work and employment opportunities that immigrants are able to access and pursue. This study examines the relationship between both cumulative and individual measures of employment exclusion and self-rated health and psychological distress among Asian and Latino immigrants in California, and whether this relationship is modified by legal status. We used data from the Research on Immigrant Health and State Policy (RIGHTS) study (n = 2010). We used both multivariable logistic regression and linear regression models for our analyses. For cumulative models, labor market exclusion was associated with poor health (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.46). Workplace exclusion was also associated with poor self-rated health (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.82) and increased psychological distress (β = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.31, 1.07). For individual measures of employment exclusion, settling for a job – a labor market exclusion – and working in a dangerous job and experiencing wage theft – workplace exclusions – were associated with poor health and increased psychological distress. There was no evidence that the association between employment exclusions and health varied by legal status. These findings demonstrate that the combined effect of employment exclusions is detrimental to immigrant health. To improve population health, public health researchers should continue to interrogate the policy conditions at the federal, state, and local level that exclude immigrants from employment opportunities and workplace protections.

South African attitudes towards refugee settlement: Examining the importance of threat perceptions

Abstract Compared to many other countries, South Africa has quite a liberal refugee settlement policy. But public hostility towards refugees in the country is a serious obstacle to refugee protection. To understand what is driving anti-refugee sentiment amongst the masses, this study investigates refugee settlement policy preferences in the post-apartheid nation. Data from the 2020 round of the nationally representative South African Social Attitudes Survey (N = 3133) was used. Different possible drivers of policy preferences were tested. Data analysis showed that there was a robust relationship between immigrant threat perceptions and policy preferences. This finding is consistent with integrated threat theory, highlighting the damaging effects of widespread negative stereotypes about immigrants in the country. Other notable drivers of attitudes identified include economic anxiety and religiosity. Subjective knowledge, by contrast, only had a weak effect on attitude formation. The study concludes by discussing future research opportunities on anti-refugee sentiment in an African context.

An exploration of the social determinants of the health and well-being among older African immigrants living in San Diego. A socio-ecological approach

Background As immigration continues to be a global phenomenon, the number of aging immigrants will increase. There is a knowledge gap in the United States on the social determinants of health among older immigrants, especially the older refugee population. We aimed to explore the social determinants of health among older African immigrants living in San Diego, California, and to suggest strategies that can inform the design of health-promoting interventions. Methods We employed a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with 11 participants (nine females and two males). We used deductive thematic analysis to explore and analyse the factors that influence their health and well-being based on the five levels of the socio-ecological model (individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy). Results Participants were aged between 62 and 90 years; eight participants had arrived as refugees. Thematic analysis resulted in the following themes within the five levels: individual (pre-migration and migration experiences and impact on health, aging-related health decline, sedentary lifestyle, side effects of medications,language barrier); interpersonal (social support and social participation); organizational (access to healthcare and support services, transportation, - disruption to services due to COVID-19, perception of healthcare and support services); community (social, emotional and practical support, connecting older adults to services) and public policy (financial barriers, immigration policies and legal status). Conclusions Given the distinct linguistic and cultural backgrounds coupled with the unique health needs of our study participants, there is a need for diverse and complementary interventions that seek to build a sense of community and social support for older adults. Such interventions ought to be co-developed with immigrant communities and local organizations to ensure cultural acceptability and effectiveness. Crucially needed are immigration policies that consider the unique situation of older immigrants from low-income backgrounds to ensure equitable access to health and social care services.

Loss of Peers and Individual Worker Performance: Evidence From H-1B Visa Denials

We study how restrictive immigration policies that result in the unexpected loss of coworkers affect the performance of skilled migrants employed in organizations. Specifically, we examine the impact of the loss of team members on their coworkers’ performance in response to the unexpectedly increased denials of extensions of H-1B work visas in the United States beginning in 2017. Losing a team member generally has a positive, albeit economically insignificant, effect on the performance of workers left behind. However, we find that individuals who lost peers of the same ethnic background experience a substantial decrease in their performance. To confirm that our results are not plagued by the presence of unobservable team or individual features that might impact visa denial decisions, we build an instrumental variable that exploits the fixed duration of the H-1B visa. Heterogeneity analyses suggest that our result is driven by workers in small teams, teams working on atypical tasks, and ethnically homogeneous teams. These analyses hint at the fact that ethnic ties may boost individual performance through preferential channels of knowledge and information spillovers. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2023.17319 .

Adopting restriction: how coalition governments respond to radical right parties

Radical right parties (RRPs) have gained representation in parliaments across Europe, but little is known about their impact on government policy. Even though RRPs tend to end up in opposition, they have considerable influence on policy making within coalition governments. One expectation is that coalition governments are tough on immigration to optimise voter support when being exposed to right-wing parties in parliament. Coalition negotiations temporarily reduce accountability and allow cabinets to adjust policy positions without bearing the costs associated with opportunistic behaviour. This argument is tested using novel data on pre-electoral policy positions and post-electoral immigration policies for coalition cabinets in 24 European democracies from 1980 to 2015. The findings reveal that governments shift to more restrictive immigration policies in face of RRPs. This article expands on prior research on the influence of the radical right by demonstrating its direct influence on coalition governments’ joint immigration policy plans.

The European Convention of Human Rights Regime: Reform of Immigration and Minority Policies From Afar, written by Dia Anagnostou

The European Convention of Human Rights Regime: Reform of Immigration and Minority Policies From Afar, written by Dia Anagnostou