No Trespass Zones: Governing the Mobility of Citizens and Migrants in the Post-Civil Rights Era

Abstract

The social scientific study of migration is dedicated to understanding the experiences of peoplewho migrate, their post-migration integration, and the regulation of these processes. Despite playing a foundational role in the growth of sociology in the United States, the study of migration has recently come under critique for solely focusing on the movement of people across international boundaries, as it reproduces a state-centric definition of migration that overlooks other forms of human mobility. In response, scholars have called for the methodological de- nationalism of migration studies, recognizing that immigration is one of multiple ways in which movement is guided and constrained at different socio-political scales. This dissertation expands on recent trends in migration-related theory to understandcontemporary trends in social control. In particular, it presents three in-depth case studies of subnational governments that have enacted trespass ordinances in response to seemingly disparate social problems, including immigration, homelessness, and juvenile delinquency. By studying trespass law as a type of political border, this dissertation theoretically challenges the reproduction of state-centric definitions of migration, as it explores how mechanisms of mobility control can “illegalize” people located across the migrant/citizen divide. In turn, this work offers newfound insights into theories of citizenship, migration, and social control. However, the broader implication of this research is that it provides a framework for understanding punitive policies, which may be useful to researchers, policymakers, and community organizers who seek to unite disparate movements for social justice.