ABSTRACT

Over the past thirty years, there has been an increase in the number of immigrant day labourers in the United States. The presence of day labourers has led to numerous conflicts in municipalities. Some locals benefit from the labour performed by day labourers and believe they do no harm, while others see them as “illegal” immigrants that pose a threat to the community. For many, the legitimacy of day labourers remains uncertain, which opens a space for opponents and supporters to push for competing policies. Uncertain legitimacy and back and forth conflicts result in policies that are continuously being tugged between exclusionary and inclusionary measures. Whereas much of the literature on local immigration policies suggests that subnational governments opt for either exclusionary or inclusionary measures, this paper reveals the volatility of local immigration policies and the blurring of lines between them.

摘要

在过去的30年中，美国的临时工移民数量有所增加。临时工的存在导致市政当局发生了许多冲突。一些当地人从临时工的劳动中受益，并认为他们没有伤害，而另一些人则将其视为对社区构成威胁的“非法”移民。对于许多人来说，临时工的合法性仍然不确定，这为反对者和支持者争取竞争政策提供了空间。不确定的合法性和来回冲突导致在排除性措施和包容性措施之间不断采用各种政策。尽管许多有关地方移民政策的文献都表明，地方政府选择采取排斥或包容性措施，