The California Package: Immigrant Integration and the Evolving Nature of State Citizenship
In the latest installment of Policy Matters, a publication of the UC Riverside School of Public Policy, researchers Karthick Ramakrishnan and Allan Colbern argue that some of the most important developments in immigration policy are now occurring at the state level.
Immigration law is no longer the exclusive domain of the federal government. That was certainly clear in the mid 2000s, with restrictive laws on immigration enforcement in many states and localities. Starting in 2012, however, momentum shifted away from these restrictionist laws, and towards a growing number of state laws that push towards greater immigrant integration, on matters ranging from in-state tuition and financial aid to undocumented students, to expanded health benefits and access to driver’s licenses.
Ramakrishnan is a professor of political science and public policy, and is associate dean of the School of Public Policy. Colbern is a Ph.D. candidate in political science. Click here.
KJ