Law Enforcement and Immigration

      Two major periods of immigration

influxes since the turn of the century as well as the transformation of the

nation due to both illegal and legal immigration have determined large

Hispanic communities in many Western states. States like Texas, for

example, have struggled to define increasingly complex Hispanic communities

and create a response, both in the government and in law enforcement,

for addressing the needs of these large Hispanic communities.

         In recent years, an

obvious dichotomous view has come to the forefront of national debates

about the composition of Hispanic communities in border states and the

conflicts have arisen over immigrant and citizen rights, the rights of

the Hispanic Americans community as a whole, the negative correlates

attached to cultural and language differences, and the role of law

enforcement officers, both of Hispanic and non-Hispanic decent, in addressing

these problems.

Views of Immigration

      Though varied communities have existed

in cities like El Paso, Pecos, and Rio Del for decades, changes in

immigration, both legal and illegal, have impacted the demographic

characteristics of a number of West Texas cities and towns and has underscored

divisions between predominant White (European American) communities and

predominantly Hispanic communities. Large-scale increases in

immigration from Latin American countries in Texas in general has gained national

attention, but it has also been recognized that cities like El Paso

have had a considerable Hispanic community since their founding and this

provides a substantial base for the integration of a modern and central

Hispanic community.

     In 1996 alone, 1.2 million legal and illegal

immigrants moved into the United States, primarily into urban regions of

New York New Jersey, Florida and Illinois, and in urban and rural

regions of California and Texas (especially in border cities like El Paso,

Peco, Presidio and Rio Del) (Andrews and Knack, 1997). Of this number,

916,000 individuals were legal arrivals, while over 275,000 illegal

immigrants also immigrated to these same regions (Andrews and Knack, 1997).

Though immigration limitations have been set and a crack down on

illegal immigration has followed suit, it has been recognized that illegal

immigration is a definable issue, and has impacted the development and

stability of Hispanic communities in states like Texas.

    It is necessary to recognize that many of the

individuals comprising the Hispanic communities in cities of West Texas were

not primarily the product of illegal immigration. The immigration

history of the United States suggests two primary influxes of Hispanic

populations during periods of legal immigration. In 1965, for example, the

Immigration and Nationality Act removed federal limits on new

immigration and allowed a greater number of relatives of current citizens to

enter the United States (Andrews and Knack, 1997). In 1986, the government

opened the system for people who had illegally settled in the United

States, increasing the number of once-illegal immigrants who became

American citizens (and then were able to sponsor the immigration of

additional family members) (Andrews and Knack, 1997). The base of illegal

immigrants who came to the United States because of the availability of

migrant farm work since the turn of the century, the amnesty program th!

at allowed them to attain citizenship, and the secondary introduction

of family members defined a large segment of the Hispanic community.

    In addition to a largely stable Hispanic American

community in regions of the state of Texas, there is also a definable

segment of the Hispanic community comprised of illegal immigrants, some of

whom have connections to the community and others who define both

cultural and social differentiations and a dichotomy in the way Hispanic

communities are viewed (Harris and Firestone, 1997). One of the popular

misconceptions about the nature of Hispanic communities in the Western

United States is that they are comprised solely of illegal immigrants,

have few long-term community bases, and are defined by populations of

working poor. Though demographic representations suggest that Hispanic

communities in Texas have a lower than average per-capita income,

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