Current Work

2023 Projects

Local Law Enforcement Accountability Challenges

One of my current projects, stems from observations at community meetings with local law enforcement after the 2016 presidential election and the subsequent development of local police accountability coalitions meant to create hyperlocal campaigns and solutions to national, mainly anti-immigrant polices. I observed local law enforcement agents attempt to distance themselves from implementing immigration enforcement in response to recent executive orders pertaining to these practices. I also examine how that distancing is accepted or rejected by community members and how these decision making practices sometimes pit Latinx community members against black community members’ calls for transparency, accountability, and reform.

Redefining Local ICE Collaboration

In my second project, I am developing and testing a scale to measure how immigration enforcement practices (both those viewed as punitive and helpful) factor into the politics of reception for immigrants, particularly in newer immigrant destinations. These include but may be expanded:

  • U-Visa Policies
  • “Sanctuary” Resolutions
  • 287(g) Programs
  • Deputized Staff with Immigration Authority
  • Reimbursements (SCAAP)
  • Detainer Usage Policies
  • Interagency Taskforce Participation
  • Probation Policies
  • Pre-Traffic Stop Policies
  • School Based Policies

2018-2022 Research Team

Jessie Rios double majored in criminal justice and political science with a concentration of international studies in both. Jessie assisted in identifying conditions for local law enforcement U-Visa certification throughout the state. She did so in partnership with the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Beau Groover (sociology major) focused on ICE involvement in the adult corrections system in NC.

For more information on our U-Visa research, you can find a report and write-up Double Punishment. You can also find a related report on Charlotte-Mecklenburg by By Dr. Claire Schuch, Melissa Siegel-Barrios, Stefania Arteaga, Betsabe Rojas, Zeke Van Dehy and Tahlia Hanna-Martinez titled, IMMIGRANTS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG.