ILLEGAL ALIENS OUT! : MAKING SOCIOLOGICAL SENSE of the NEW RESTRICTIONIST FRAME by URY SAUL HERSCH COHN B.A., San Francisco
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
ILLEGAL ALIENS OUT! : MAKING SOCIOLOGICAL SENSE OF THE NEW RESTRICTIONIST FRAME by URY SAUL HERSCH COHN B.A., San Francisco State University, 1994 M.A., San Jose State University, 1996 AN ABSTRACT OF A DISSERTATION submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work College of Arts and Sciences KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas Abstract In a 2005 op-ed piece, Wall St. Journal columnist Peggy Noonan queried, ―What does it mean that your first act on entering a country is breaking its laws?‖ Unauthorized noncitizen populations have increased rapidly, from 3 million in 1990 to over 11 million in 2009. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the Minuteman Project and the Tea Party generated renewed interest in restrictionist social movements (RSMs). Sociological social movement theories focused primarily on oppressed populations rather than privileged groups, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of right-wing movements. This dissertation‘s main question is: how did contemporary restrictionists frame their anti-immigrant principles, practices, and policies in the post-9/11 period? In turn, what comprise the social and political consequences of such strategies? This study argues that the ―new‖ restrictionists successfully framed issues relating to unauthorized noncitizens concerning the cultural, economic, and security risks they posed to the United States. Fifty members from a diverse set of voluntary organizations were interviewed, including the Minuteman Project, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and the American GI Forum (AGIF). Grounded theory methodology was used to create initial codes, which were then connected with themes derived from the literature. This study finds that grassroots, right-wing RSMs brought attention to contentious noncitizen issues that spurred debate and action within both Democratic and Republicans parties, public discourse, and social policy from after 9/11 to 2012. The success of the 2005 Minuteman Project border patrol demonstrated that the federal government lacked the political will to control the U.S.–Mexico border. This dissertation adds to the social movement literature demonstrating that both classical and solidarity theories of social movements help explain how restrictionists framed unauthorized noncitizen issues. Ultimately, this study finds RSMs represent a right-wing mobilization (rather than conservative) because of their singling out of Mexican unauthorized noncitizens, extra-institutional action on the border, the use of inflammatory rhetoric, and anti-Catholic sentiment, which contributed in pushing the Republican Party further to the right. ILLEGAL ALIENS OUT! : MAKING SOCIOLOGICAL SENSE OF THE NEW RESTRICTIONIST FRAME by URY SAUL HERSCH COHN B.A., San Francisco State University, 1994 M.A., San Jose State University, 1996 A DISSERTATION submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work College of Arts and Sciences KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas 2013 Approved by: Major Professor Robert K. Schaeffer Copyright URY SAUL HERSCH COHN 2013 Abstract In a 2005 op-ed piece, Wall St. Journal columnist Peggy Noonan queried, ―What does it mean that your first act on entering a country is breaking its laws?‖ Unauthorized noncitizen populations have increased rapidly, from 3 million in 1990 to over 11 million in 2009. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the Minuteman Project and the Tea Party generated renewed interest in restrictionist social movements (RSMs). Sociological social movement theories focused primarily on oppressed populations rather than privileged groups, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of right-wing movements. This dissertation‘s main question is: how did contemporary restrictionists frame their anti-immigrant principles, practices, and policies in the post-9/11 period? In turn, what comprise the social and political consequences of such strategies? This study argues that the ―new‖ restrictionists successfully framed issues relating to unauthorized noncitizens concerning the cultural, economic, and security risks they posed to the United States. Fifty members from a diverse set of voluntary organizations were interviewed, including the Minuteman Project, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and the American GI Forum (AGIF). Grounded theory methodology was used to create initial codes, which were then connected with themes derived from the literature. This study finds that grassroots, right-wing RSMs brought attention to contentious noncitizen issues that spurred debate and action within both Democratic and Republicans parties, public discourse, and social policy from after 9/11 to 2012. The success of the 2005 Minuteman Project border patrol demonstrated that the federal government lacked the political will to control the U.S.–Mexico border. This dissertation adds to the social movement literature demonstrating that both classical and solidarity theories of social movements help explain how restrictionists framed unauthorized noncitizen issues. Ultimately, this study finds RSMs represent a right-wing mobilization (rather than conservative) because of their singling out of Mexican unauthorized noncitizens, extra-institutional action on the border, the use of inflammatory rhetoric, and anti-Catholic sentiment, which contributed in pushing the Republican Party further to the right. Table of Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. x List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. xi Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... xii Dedication .................................................................................................................................... xiv Chapter 1 - Overview ...................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose of Study and Research Questions ................................................................................. 5 Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 7 Contributions to Sociological Theory ..................................................................................... 9 Organization of Dissertation ................................................................................................. 10 Chapter 2 - The Historical Context of Anti-Illegal Sentiment ...................................................... 14 The Social Construction of Illegality ........................................................................................ 15 Post-World War II Immigration Developments: The Gate Opens a Little ........................... 18 The Latent Effects of the 1965 Immigration Act .............................................................. 19 The Long 1990s ................................................................................................................ 21 Chapter 3 - Theories of Collective Action in the Context of Right-Wing Movements: An Overview and Critique ........................................................................................................... 26 Classical Models of Social Movements .................................................................................... 26 Criticisms of the Classical Model of Social Movement ....................................................... 32 The Cultural Context of Framing ...................................................................................... 35 The Diversity of the Right ........................................................................................................ 37 Defining Rightists ................................................................................................................. 38 Culture Wars ............................................................................................................................. 46 ―Losing Our Unique American Identity‖ .......................................................................... 49 ―An American Host with Foreign Parasites‖ .................................................................... 53 Restrictionists Get an Invitation to the Tea Party ................................................................. 56 Similarities and Differences Between Restrictionists and Tea Partiers ................................ 57 Chapter 4 - The DAR: Membership Has Its Privileges (and its Burdens) .................................... 62 DAR as an Organization ........................................................................................................... 63 Organizational Structure of DAR ......................................................................................... 65 vi Resolutions Process: Inner Machinations of an Exclusive Organization ............................. 67 ―Transforming the Foreign‖ .................................................................................................. 69 The DAR in the 1950s: Continued Support of Immigration Restriction .......................... 72 Making