Immigration Article of the Day: The Political Economy of Mass Deportation by Matthew Boaz

The Political Economy of Mass Deportation by Matthew Boaz
Abstract

The United States is pursuing mass deportation at all costs. By this, I mean that it is failing to consider both the national political economy and the local political economies of its efforts to expel noncitizens. This lack of regard for the full effects of rapid and widespread removal supplants careful consideration with fiery rhetoric, the result of which will be a worse economic reality for citizens and noncitizens alike. These deportation efforts are expensive, frequently violent, and deny the need within many municipalities and rural regions in the United States to revitalize depopulated areas. Ironically, many of the areas in need of investment tend to be conservative, rural, or both. In fact, substantial numbers of locales within the U.S. are actively seeking new arrivals, as are various regions abroad. There appears to be potential partisan misalignment from the traditionally expected perspectives on how immigration policy should function. Indeed, a law and political economy analysis would suggest that regional and local desires should be granted consideration in making national immigration decisions. Such a path is already being pursued in Canada and Spain. This Article considers how the political economy of these international actors maps on to that of the United States and the local actors within.