Abstract
Like many other cities, Austin, Texas has become a popular destination since the 1990s for Mexican and Central American immigrants, compelling the local government to respond to the complex challenges of integrating a fast-growing population. The present chapter analyzes Austin’s local policies and political stances on irregular immigration over the past four decades (from the mid-1980s to 2017). Although Austin has generally prioritized economic expansion over immigration control, there have been periods of widespread deportation practices and periods of strong support of its immigrant residents. This chapter shows how these local policies have evolved continuously, going back and forth from inclusion to exclusion of its immigrant residents, at times reacting to, or complying with, various state and national policies. These policy shifts have occurred in the midst of growing political polarization and within the framework of a global economy of urban competition and branding.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
From May 2014 to May 2015, I conducted ethnographic fieldwork with two immigrant grassroots organizations. For someone who knows the Austin’s immigrants’ right movement field, the identity of these two organizations might become evident. I will try to maintain their anonymity to protect their privacy, particularly with the changes in immigration enforcement that have fallen on immigrant communities since Donald Trump arrived at executive power.
- 3.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was active from 1940 to 2003 as an agency of the Department of Justice. After the 9/11 events, and along with the association of immigration with terrorism, the INS was divided in three new entities (US Citizenship and Immigration Services, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Customs and Border Protection) now belonging to the Department of Homeland Security.
- 4.
City Council Resolution 810528-03.
- 5.
INS Researchers is what they called themselves being quoted on interviews as way to be separated from Border Patrol agents. The latter ones in charge of detention, and the former, of investigating a detainee legal status.
- 6.
City Council Resolution 970130-033.
- 7.
Such as the English-Only, US English and English first and organizational efforts that materialized in organizations such as FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform), CIS (Center for Immigration Studies) and Numbers USA, some of them now classified as hate groups.
- 8.
City Council Ordinance 971023-A.
- 9.
City Council Ordinance 971023-A.
- 10.
City Council Ordinance 010910-01.
- 11.
The matricula consular is an initiative of the Mexican government to provide secure identity documentation to its nationals abroad who may not otherwise, have any other form of valid identification. Because of its use in the banking and remittances industry, Monica Varsanyi has called the matriculas consulares a form of neoliberal local membership (2007).
- 12.
Such as boarding a domestic flight.
- 13.
City Council Resolution 20020523-074.
- 14.
City Council Resolution 20030403-033.
- 15.
Texas HB 57, 78th Regular session. Introduced version.
- 16.
The Minutemen is an anti-immigrant nativist movement made up of various and very diverse, typically local, organizations dedicated mostly to citizen-border patrol activities. Some of the organizations are dedicated to what some scholars have termed “sensationalist monitoring of the border” through demonstrations (Chavez, 2007; Oliviero, 2011), while others focus on more aggressive and militarized activities (Trujeque Díaz, 2007).
- 17.
City Council Resolution 20051215-055.
- 18.
City Council Resolution 20132228-034.
- 19.
City Council Resolution 20140626-099.
- 20.
It is important to note that the language used by the City of Austin is replicating the language used by the local immigrant-rights movement. The question of complying with ICE detainers is separate from S-Comm (which allows ICE to locate migrants in the first place). Participation in S-Comm was only terminated when Obama replaced it with the Priority Enforcement Program, officially in 2015.
- 21.
ACLU, Grassroots Leadership and Texas Civil Rights Project.
- 22.
City Council Resolution 20140807-102.
- 23.
City Council Resolution 20141211-225.
- 24.
In 2012 President Barak Obama announced the start of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) through executive action. DACA allowed irregular immigrants brought to the US before their 16th birthday a temporary (2 years) and renewable deferral for deportation and work permit. The DACA extension would offer a 3-year deferred action and an expanded eligibility and DAPA would give temporary and renewable deferral action from deportation and work permits to irregular immigrants with children with a US citizenship or legal residence, and that had lived in the US for at least for 5 years.
- 25.
That means that it was an organization affiliated to United We Dream, an immigrant-youth led national network born as a movement that supported the legislative proposal of the DREAM Act (The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act) first introduced in 2001 (although never passed). The DREAM Act would grant temporary conditional residence and the right to work to immigrant brought to the US as minors, as well as the possibility to later obtain a regular and permanent status.
- 26.
City Council Resolution 20141211-125.
- 27.
On 2017 the Trump administration announced the rescission of Obama’s executive action.
- 28.
City Council Resolution 20140320-049.
- 29.
The organizations listed are: Asociación de Empresarios Mexicanos, Austin Community Foundation, Austin Independent School District, Caritas of Austin, Chinese American Semiconductor Professional Association, Eurocircle, Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce, The Indus Entrepreneurs Austin, SafePlace, SAIVA, The SEED Adult and Family Learning Community, and The University of Texas at Austin International Office.
- 30.
- 31.
See: http://www.houstontx.gov.
- 32.
- 33.
- 34.
- 35.
Obama’s excecutive action was put on hold on February 2016 by US District Judge Andrew Hanen.
- 36.
City Council Resolution 20161215-066.
- 37.
You need to know that your leaders, in the building behind us, are committed to your safety and your family’s.
- 38.
City Council Resolution 20170216-068.
- 39.
City Council Resolution 20170518-045.
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Castillo, R.A. (2021). From “Safety Zone” to “Welcoming City”: Austin, Texas as an Unfinished Urban Sanctuary. In: Faret, L., Sanders, H. (eds) Migrant Protection and the City in the Americas. Politics of Citizenship and Migration. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74369-7_3
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