With many key states too close to call, the US presidential election shows a deeply divided country. Canadian Studies program director Irene Bloemraad, a sociology professor and expert on migration, was asked to share her take on the preliminary results in a new Berkeley News piece, "America on edge: Berkeley scholars’ early election thoughts". Professor Bloemraad highlighted the surprising absence of immigration as a key issue in this highly-contested race:
“What was the role of immigration policy and immigrants in this deeply divided election? The wall that Trump promised Mexico would pay for hasn’t been built. But over the last four years, the Trump administration has engaged in a full-court press to narrow or shut down almost all aspects of the U.S. immigration system. This includes dropping refugee admissions to less than 15% of 2016 numbers, restricting asylum, separating children from parents, seeking to end DACA and TPS and setting up a new office to investigate stripping citizenship from naturalized Americans. Given this, I’ve been surprised that the 2020 campaign was so silent on a signature issue of Trump’s 2016 run for office. Some in Trump’s base clearly continue to support harsh immigrant restrictions. Was the silence on immigration a deliberate attempt to court immigrants and their adult children in places like Florida? Conversely, voters’ move to voting Democratic in Maricopa County, Arizona — the place where Sheriff Joe Arpiao long terrorized immigrants – might reflect the hard work of Latinx residents and immigrant allies to mobilize the vote and challenge public officials’ immigrant bashing. Will California’s shift from Pete Wilson’s 1990s Prop 187 agenda to an overwhelming ‘blue’ bulwark today be repeated in other states?”