Discrimination

Racial Profiling

Racial profiling has dominated the literature with regard to discrimination. Current immigration policies have restricted immigrants from Central and South America, Africa, and Asia owing to racial xenophobia and hesitancy of assimilation–resettlement diversity outcomes. Illegal immigrants in particular have encountered harassment for being part of a racial or ethnic minority group. At present, with immigration law restricting illegal immigrants' entry into the United States, policies have sought to identify the citizenship status of individuals mainly by law enforcement, as well as with regard to accessing social services and within the public education system. Some states, such as Arizona and Alabama, have institutionalized citizenship status checks as a way to mitigate illegal immigration. These policies are criticized by various groups with regard to their discriminatory nature. For instance, law enforcement efforts to determine citizenship status have mainly focused on identifying individuals of Latino origin. Support of racial profiling among whites contributes to an environment in which racial and ethnic minority groups are criminalized, then further devalued in terms of social status. Referring to Mexican migrants as illegal aliens reveals prejudicial views that devalue their sense of worth. The majority of public debate on illegal immigration centers on the idea that Mexican migrants are taking away jobs reserved for native citizens and views that Mexican migrants have criminal propensities. Although research tends to dispute these claims, the focus on labeling these migrants as illegal aliens contributes to an ideology of otherness and dehumanization.

[Page 207]Class is also a factor that influences how immigrants are received by a host society. Aforementioned perceptions of Mexican migrants accessing jobs at the expense of U.S. citizens reveal that race is not the sole factor for discriminating against the immigrants from Mexico. U.S. immigration law has targeted poor immigrants and has sought to bar their entry into the United States. Low-income migrants from Asia and Mexico face entry barriers in the form of policies supported by the U.S. American, middle-class ideology. For example, perceptions that the migrants will take advantage of federal social services have been countered by policies that deny the immigrants the ability to access benefits, such as welfare resources. Thus, negative perceptions of illegal immigrants on the basis of race and class stratification offer support for discriminatory policy making. Discrimination further marginalizes immigrants in this case from accessing equal rights and protection.

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