The Immigration Industrial Complex: Why We Enforce Immigration Policies Destined to Fail
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Level 5 by design analogy (theoretical and conceptual analysis with no primary empirical data).
OpenAlex W2075268101 · doi:10.1111/j.1751-9020.2008.00193.x
What was done
This conceptual paper presents a genealogy of the concept of the immigration industrial complex, defined as the confluence of public and private sector interests in criminalizing undocumented migration, expanding law enforcement, and promoting anti-immigrant rhetoric. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from the prison and military industrial complexes, it examines why the United States Congress continues to fund Department of Homeland Security enforcement mechanisms rather than enacting viable reform, particularly in the post-9/11 War on Terror context.
What was found
No numerical results or empirical data are reported in the abstract. The paper conceptually identifies three shared features across military, prison, and immigration industrial complexes: (a) a rhetoric of fear, (b) the convergence of powerful interests, and (c) a discourse of other-ization.
Why it matters
The paper provides a sociological conceptual framework to explain why immigration enforcement policies that fail to achieve their stated objectives persist and receive major federal funding.
Limits
The abstract describes a purely theoretical and conceptual discussion without empirical datasets, quantitative measurements, or systematic review methodology.
Cited by
- context The United States spends more federal money on ICE than on children.