Moral and Immoral Whiteness in Immigration Politics

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 03 August 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Immigration has been a contentious issue in US politics for centuries. In her book Moral and Immoral Whiteness in Immigration Politics, Yalidy Matos delves into the inherent moral, value-based, and nature of white Americans' immigration attitudes, including their preferences on local immigration enforcement programs, federal immigration policy, and levels of legal immigration allowed. Matos questions whether identifying as white always signifies a commitment to maintaining the racial status quo or if it can lead to commitments to racial justice. She also explores how state-level sanctuary and anti-sanctuary immigration legislation are passed through a white identity political lens.

Thinking about whiteness as a moral choice complicates the notion that immigration policy preferences are primarily driven by demographic shifts. Matos examines public opinion survey data and the roll call votes of elected officials to understand the conditions under which white Americans choose to reproduce or repudiate a system structured on white supremacy. She also explores the role of socialization in shaping their choices and immigration attitudes.

As immigration continues to be used as a political tool to divide, Matos emphasizes the importance of understanding the roots of immigration attitudes in the United States and how whiteness shapes these attitudes. She argues that by examining the moral dimensions of immigration, we can better understand the complex dynamics of immigration policy and work towards a more inclusive and equitable society.

Weight: 382g
Dimension: 157 x 236 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197656266