Social Work

The following is an online awareness intervention designed to reduce anti-immigrant sentiment and myth throughout the greater community by means of an educational toolkit. The foundation of this toolkit was designed using macro level theoretical intervention frameworks. The content is grounded in empirically based interpersonal communication strategies specialized in addressing anti-immigrant sentiment. The goal of this toolkit is to provide a source for humanizing and factual education especially for those who are unfamiliar with immigrant community members. The intervention achieves this goal by means of three specific elements: 1) Humanizing and inspiring personal stories from immigrants in the local community who have overcome structural and cultural barriers to reach high levels of success; 2) infographics designed to educate community members by presenting factual data which refutes common anti-immigrant myths; and 3) avenues for inspired members to become active in immigration related social change and learn more about the benefits of immigrants to any community.

Graphic Design by Melissa Winter

The United States has had a wavering acceptance of immigrants throughout itshistory, from eager invitations to violent and immediate forced removals. Presently, immigrants from Central America are in the spotlight, who have been dehumanized into that of the “other” and subjected to harsh deportation and criminal proceedings as a result of these perceptions. This article will show that ‘othering’ immigrants has been a part of restrictive immigration policy since the origins of the United States, continuing to present day by the following: 1) “othering” is explained in application to undocumented immigrants in America; 2) a history of US deportation policy is discussed in order to provide a context to the deep-seated tendency of “othering” in the US; 3) recent federal U.S. policies are introduced, examining the constant presence of “othering” unauthorized immigrants, with a primary focus on the Secure Communities program; 4) the widespread phenomenon of “othering” is discussed, both in the US and internationally, as well as the current state of the “alien other” in American political discourse.

Immigration is a notoriously complex and hotly contested issue, now more than ever.

To make matters more complicated, harmful myths surrounding immigrants and immigration frequently find their way into mainstream rhetoric, especially since the Trump administration’s rise to power, further obscuring the common perception of immigrants and immigration policy.

Many of these myths — such as that immigrants don’t pay taxes or that they take jobs from American citizens or that they are criminals and terrorists — have been repeatedly proved as simply untrue. The problem with such frequent use of “alternative facts” and myths promulgated by our leaders is that they tend to be repeated...

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/article140675868.html#storylink=cpy

California is home to approximately one-third of the Cambodian American population, many of whom came to the United States as refugees. In a chapter from her book, Southeast Asian Migration: People on the Move in Search of Work, Refuge and Belonging, BIMI-affiliate and Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies Khatharya Um, explores how Cambodian American youth participate in artistic expression and political engagement to navigate the burdens of transgenerational trauma and forced migration. Drawing on Prof. Um’s research, this policy brief makes recommendations for activists, educators, policy makers, and service providers to support the empowerment of young Cambodian Americans and other refugee communities.

This article examines United States immigration policy in three states: Arizona, Alabama, and Indiana. All three states have varying rates of Latino immigration and a complex set of socioeconomic and cultural factors; yet nonetheless, all have participated in the criminalization of undocumented immigrants through state-level legislative action. First, this article explores Latino migration to the United States and its relationship to the forces of globalization. Second, we discuss the consequences and impacts of racialized and decentralized immigration policy. Third, we detail the history and background of each state law and its economic and social costs. Lastly, we conclude with implications of these policies on the lives of undocumented immigrants, social welfare policy, social work and transnational practice, and social work education.

This article examines United States immigration policy in three states: Arizona, Alabama, and Indiana. All three states have varying rates of Latino immigration and a complex set of socioeconomic and cultural factors; yet nonetheless, all have participated in the criminalization of undocumented immigrants through state-level legislative action. First, this article explores Latino migration to the United States and its relationship to the forces of globalization. Second, we discuss the consequences and impacts of racialized and decentralized immigration policy. Third, we detail the history and background of each state law and its economic and social costs. Lastly, we conclude with implications of these policies on the lives of undocumented immigrants, social welfare policy, social work and transnational practice, and social work education.

The purpose of this book, “The Immigrant Other: Lived Experiences in a Transnational World,” is to explore the lived experiences of immigrants whose lives have been impacted by the criminalization of immigration. Unlike past books that focus on specific laws and policies, whether federal or state, this book focuses on the “lived experience” of the immigrant herself. In a sense, we turn social policy on its head, and focus on the subjectively experienced consequences of various political and social configurations. In our edited volume, we will have chapters that work inductively, that is, authors will build their analysis based upon the lives of the immigrants. Authors will have several key ways in which to place the lived experience of “the immigrant other” at the center of their chapters. These will include descriptions from qualitative research (ethnography, participant observation, phenomenological, and other qualitative methods and traditions), case studies from direct service o...

The United States has had a wavering acceptance of immigrants throughout itshistory, from eager invitations to violent and immediate forced removals. Presently, immigrants from Central America are in the spotlight, who have been dehumanized into that of the “other” and subjected to harsh deportation and criminal proceedings as a result of these perceptions. This article will show that ‘othering’ immigrants has been a part of restrictive immigration policy since the origins of the United States, continuing to present day by the following: 1) “othering” is explained in application to undocumented immigrants in America; 2) a history of US deportation policy is discussed in order to provide a context to the deep-seated tendency of “othering” in the US; 3) recent federal U.S. policies are introduced, examining the constant presence of “othering” unauthorized immigrants, with a primary focus on the Secure Communities program; 4) the widespread phenomenon of “othering” is discussed, both i...

This article examines United States immigration policy in three states: Arizona, Alabama, and Indiana. All three states have varying rates of Latino immigration and a complex set of socioeconomic and cultural factors; yet nonetheless, all have participated in the criminalization of undocumented immigrants through state-level legislative action. First, this article explores Latino migration to the United States and its relationship to the forces of globalization. Second, we discuss the consequences and impacts of racialized and decentralized immigration policy. Third, we detail the history and background of each state law and its economic and social costs. Lastly, we conclude with implications of these policies on the lives of undocumented immigrants, social welfare policy, social work and transnational practice, and social work education.

Immigration detention causes psychological, physiological, and financial harm, primarily to noncitizens of color. Following a mass release of "lower-priority" individuals, responses to the COVID-19 pandemic provide an opportunity to envision a system more focused on freedom and pragmatism rather than retributive and ineffective notions of human warehousing and deterrence. Utilizing community-based case management (CBCM), a majority of detained noncitizens could be immediately returned to their families and communities under agency discretion. While some alternatives to incarceration serve as extensions of the carceral state, CBCM maintains required court appearances and preserves occupational and familial obligations at a fraction of detention costs without the need for intensive surveillance or restrictions. Drawing upon available research, theories of violence, and strengths-based case management, this article critically examines the emergence of mass immigration detention in the United States and considers a noncarceral approach to mitigate such state violence against detained noncitizens, as well as their families and communities. The profession of social work is uniquely positioned to implement CBCM to address the mass detention crisis and the grand challenge of smart decarceration. Social workers are well-equipped to 1) advocate for sensible decarceration policy, 2) conduct action-oriented scholarly research on the impacts of detention and outcomes of CBCM, and 3) provide integrated case management for noncitizens in immigration removal proceedings.