Right to the Suburb? Rethinking Lefebvre and Immigrant Activism

ABSTRACT:

In the face of increasing migration by Latinos to suburbs and multi-scalar policies criminalizing immigrants, municipalities are increasingly confronting the question, Who has the Right to the Suburb? We seek to better understand how the tensions between suburbanites and Latino immigrants are addressed by municipal governments as immigration enforcement is increasingly rescaled to the local level. Case studies of Maywood and Costa Mesa in Southern California suggest responses are by no means similar and can actually be contrasting, given the city’s historical trajectories, socio-economic status, political leadership, and networks of activists. Suburban struggles are often assumed to be conservative and as a result are undertheorized as sites of liberatory struggle. While the urban realm remains the most visible stage of social movements, this paper suggests immigrant activism is increasingly being generated in suburbs, election-based organizing can be an effective gateway to municipal level change, and seeking to expand or constrict the Right to the City necessarily entails multi-scalar efforts.

Notes

1 In this article, we use the adjective “unauthorized” to refer to immigrants that are not legally permitted to be in the United States. We disavow the common adjectives “illegal” and “undocumented” to name these immigrants. In the former case, we acknowledge the right of human beings to migrate in search of better living conditions, and thus challenge the designation “illegal.” In the latter case, many, if not most, unauthorized immigrants do carry identification documents of their countries of origin and hence are not undocumented.

2 We use the adjective “minoritized” to refer to ethnic groups traditionally considered minorities to signal the common perception and treatment as minorities they are subjected to even when they become majorities in certain areas.

3 The largest urban marches in recent years took place in 2006, protesting a heightened national anti-immigrant climate culminating in the HR 4437 proposal. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants and allies marched in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and many other U.S. cities. The events were amply covered by the media (Pulido, 2007).

4 This category includes movers from foreign countries, as well as movers from Puerto Rico, U.S. Island Areas, and U.S. minor outlying islands.

5 Of these immigrants, almost 50% came from Latin American countries, with a large portion also coming from Asia (37%). Latinos as a whole make up a much larger percentage of Costa Mesa residents than Asians and Asian Americans, perhaps further exacerbating concerns over Latino migration (32% and 7%, respectively). (Center for Demographic Research, 2003).

6 A U.S. gospel song that later became a popular protest song during the U.S. civil rights movement. Lyrics include “We shall overcome,” “We’ll walk hand in hand,” and “We shall all be free” (Southern, 1971).

7 Lyrics include “God bless America, my sweet home.” It is “America’s unofficial national anthem,” originally written by Serbian immigrant Irving Berlin in 1918 (Library of Congress, 2003, April 2).

8 The initial intent of the city had been to join the 287(g) program, but the city settled with the Criminal Alien Program because 287(g) proved to be too much of a strain on personnel and finances.

9 This amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act would strengthen enforcement of immigration law enforcement and intensify securitization of the border between the U.S. and Mexico. The most debatable and opposed part of the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (H.R. 4437) is that it would have made it a felony to reside in the U.S. without authorization and would have penalized those who assisted unauthorized immigrants, including churches and aid workers. It was strongly opposed by immigrant rights advocates, as evident in the wave of rallies in 2006 calling for more progressive immigration reform. H.R. 4437–109th Congress: Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (2005). In GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation). Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-4437.

10 For a brief history of traffic checkpoints occurring throughout the Los Angeles region and alternative legislation being proposed, see Cedillo (2004).

11 The Dream Act, or HR 513, would grant permanent resident status to immigrant minors who have (1) lived continuously in the United States, (2) are “of good moral character,” and (3) have attained a certain degree of formal education (GovTrack.us. H.R. 5131–109th Congress, 2006).

12 The Clear Act, or HR 3137, was proposed in 2005 to authorize local and state enforcement to “investigate, apprehend, or transfer to federal custody aliens in the United States.” Furthermore, it would increase criminal penalties for immigration infractions (GovTrack.us. H.R. 3137–109th Congress, 2005).

13 Original text in Spanish states, “Creen que pueden decirle a la gente que son ilegales, cuando es un derecho de humanos buscar una vida major” (Ortega, 2006). See also Rocco (1997).

14 See Pastor, Benner, & Matsuoka (2009) for more on regional social movements.

15 See TIDES (2007) for more on how the Right to the City Alliance is building national networks to fight displacement.