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The Changing Contours of the Immigrant Rights Protest Movement in the United States: Who Demonstrates Now?

  • James A. McCann

    James A. McCann is Professor of Political Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

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    , Katsuo A. Nishikawa Chávez

    Katsuo A. Nishikawa Chávez is Associate Professor of Political Science, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX.

    , Marisa Plasencia

    Marisa Plasencia is a 2013 graduate of Trinity University who majored in Political Science and minored in Theater; she is currently a graduate student in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

    and Harper Otawka

    Harper Otawka is a 2012 graduate of Purdue University who majored in Creative Writing and minored in Political Science and Latin American and Latino Studies; she is currently a third-year law student specializing in immigration law and policy at the School of Law, University of San Diego.

Published/Copyright: July 11, 2016
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Abstract

Drawing from several original longitudinal surveys of the Mexican immigrant population in Texas and Indiana, we examine the course of the immigrant rights movement in the wake of the historic mobilization in the spring of 2006. We find that from 2007 to 2015, the number of participants in demonstrations, rallies, and marches to support immigrant rights dropped substantially, though protesting remains a fairly prevalent activity. The Mexicans taking part in protest events today, however, have higher levels of education and are older compared to 8 years ago, and they are not primarily driven by personal grievances. This change in the activist base suggests that the immigrant rights movement is following a trajectory that is common among protest movements across many democratic systems. What began as an expression of profound discontent has become a somewhat more conventional mode of involvement.

About the authors

James A. McCann

James A. McCann is Professor of Political Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.

Katsuo A. Nishikawa Chávez

Katsuo A. Nishikawa Chávez is Associate Professor of Political Science, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX.

Marisa Plasencia

Marisa Plasencia is a 2013 graduate of Trinity University who majored in Political Science and minored in Theater; she is currently a graduate student in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Harper Otawka

Harper Otawka is a 2012 graduate of Purdue University who majored in Creative Writing and minored in Political Science and Latin American and Latino Studies; she is currently a third-year law student specializing in immigration law and policy at the School of Law, University of San Diego.

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Published Online: 2016-7-11
Published in Print: 2016-7-1

©2016 by De Gruyter

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