Undocumented Fears: Immigration and the Politics of Divide and Conquer in Hazleton, Pennsylvania

Pablo Bose of University of Vermont reviews Undocumented Fears: Immigration and the Politics of Divide and Conquer in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, by Jamie Longazel. Professor Longazel uses the debate around Hazleton’s controversial Illegal Immigration Relief Act (IIRA) ordinance as a case study that reveals the mechanics of contemporary divide and conquer politics. He shows how neoliberal ideology, misconceptions about Latina/o immigrants, and nostalgic imagery of “Small Town, America” led to a racialized account of an undocumented immigrant “invasion,” masking the real story of a city beset by large-scale loss of manufacturing jobs. Offering an up-close look at how the local debate unfolded in the city that set off this broader trend, Undocumented Fears makes an important connection between immigration politics and the perpetuation of racial and economic inequality.

Read the book review at https://doi.org/10.1111/imre.12369