The Devolution of Immigrant Policymaking in the USA and Its Implications

Abstract The growing trend of state and local-level policymaking for undocumented immigrants in the USA since the passage of the federal Illegal Immigrant Responsibility and Immigration Act (IIRIR) in 1996 raises some important questions. While states and localities have moved in different directions in terms of policy liberalism or restrictionism toward undocumented immigrants, this paper considers whether a patchwork of quilt-like immigration policies across the country is acceptable.