Immigration in the United States: Exploring the Factors that Predict Public Support for Police Stops Targeted at Illegal Immigrants & Immigrants with Criminal Background

Abstract

Immigration is a contentious topic that continues to generate debates among scholars, practitioners, and the general public in the United States. Recent increase in anti-immigration sentiments in the U.S. have led to the proliferation of studies seeking to explain this phenomenon. However, the results from these studies have been inconsistent and inconclusive due to various factors. The present study adds to these existing studies by examining the predictors of public support for police stops targeted at illegal immigrants and immigrants with a criminal background. Results from our binary logistics regression suggest that political factors, the fear of immigrants, and some socio demographic variables influence public support for police stops targeted at illegal immigrants and immigrants with a criminal background in the U.S. The present findings have serious theoretical and practical implications for understanding immigration, police-immigrant relationships, and public attitude towards immigration policy and immigrants in the U.S.