Publication

This paper describes how since 2001 the US government and members of Congress have pressed for policy initiatives that aggressively seek to involve state and local government institutions in the day-to-day regulation of immigration status and the so-called "interior enforcement" of federal immigration laws. The author explains that traditionally, federal immigration enforcement efforts have prioritized enforcement activities at the border itself rather than interior enforcement. The paper states that in an era in which the power of the federal government may be diminishing, states and localities must retain sufficient influence to ensure that federal authorities are attentive to interior imperatives.