Cornelius, Ambivalent Reception to Latino Immigration

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U.S. economy dependent upon Latino immigrants

Social Structures: recurring patterns of behavior E.g., Social Networks: immigrant labor markets link immigrants w/ specific U.S. employers Geographic dispersal due to need for low-wage labor Many industries & cities economically dependent on Latino immigrants to do low-wage work Pressure from business community Most Latino immigrants (legal or undocumented) are fully employed mostly in fast growing industries Demand for Latino immigrant labor has become structural in character
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Ambivalent Public Response

On the one hand, most Americans recognize economic value of Latino immigrants

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Ambivalent reception, cont.

On the other hand, 50-70% Americans opposed to Latino immigration for noneconomic reasons: ethnicity, language, culture. Even if not personally threatened economically

Anti-Latino nativism as a cultural structure: recurring, patterned symbols, ideas and values.
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Not just anti-immigrant. Many have a more positive view of Asians & Asian immigration. (remember Claire Kims analysis).

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Cornelius, Table 8.4

Evaluation of Immigrants since 1980 (1997 survey)

% expressing Unfavorable

Africa 18% Europe 12 Middle East 30

Mexico 34 Central/South America 23 Cuba 35 Other Caribbean (Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, etc.) 29 India 21 China 19 Japan 18 Philippines 19 Other Asian (Korea, Vietnam, etc.) 25
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Cornelius assembles evidence from survey data & voting records.

Many opposed to Latino immigration also: Dont like multigenerational households Have negative perceptions of Latinos as ethnic group Believe Latinos too demanding for equal rights Oppose multiculturalism Fear that growing numbers dilute Americas core culture (salsa v. ketchup) Disapprove of bilingualism Fear that Latinos dont learn English & assimilate
(Studies show that almost all 2nd & 3rd generation Latinos have strong English & most lose Spanish Prof. April Linton)
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Many of those who voted for Prop 187 also for Prop 227

CA Prop 187 in 1994 (59%; overturned by courts) Restricted public services, including education & health care, to illegal immigrants (1998 only 22%) CA Prop 227 in 1998 (61%) No public funds for bilingual education Opposition more complex than pre-1965 anti-immigrant sentiment, which was often based on biology (Kim)
23% Latinos supported Prop 187 and 37% for Prop 227

Core Fear = immigration & Spanish language cultural fragmentation

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How would Cornelius characterize Latinos using Claire Kims terms? Double elision Cultural Structures of: Valorization (superiority inferiority) Civic ostracism (insider foreigner) Where would Cornelius put Latinos on Cornell & Hartmanns graph? Assigned vs. Asserted; Thick vs. Thin
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Anti-immigrant nativism in 19th early 20th Centuries In early 20th cent. German Americans and Irish Americans dock workers refused to recognize their Italian immigrant counterparts as white men (Lipsitz)

Whites in power construct cultural definition of white changes over time.

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Anti-immigrant nativism in early 21st C.

E.g., Escondido, CA

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