Julie C. Keller: Milking in the shadows: migrants and mobility in America’s dairyland

“Keeping Things under the Rug”: Racial Dynamics in the Context of Large Immigration Raids in Rural Mississippi☆

“…Like other studies looking at Latinx immigrants in the U.S. food systems in rural settings (e.g., Flora et al 2012; Guerrero 2017; Keller 2019; Mares 2019; Thompson 2011, 2020, 2022), this research used qualitative data. From 2020 to 2022, I conducted semi‐structured interviews to understand the impacts of the immigration raids, and the responses developed by Latinx communities and allies.…”

“…National politics and capitalist economic forces often exacerbate social and racial inequalities, and problems among Latinx immigrants in new rural destinations (see Guerrero 2017; Mares 2019; Thompson 2020). Many studies show how people of color often experience labor and human exploitation, discrimination, marginalization, and racism (see e.g., Escobar 2021; Guerrero 2017; Keller 2019; Mares 2019; Steusse 2016; Thompson 2020, 2022). Latinx immigrants in new rural destinations, like communities in Central Mississippi, often experience significant risk factors that contribute to their everyday problems.…”

“…In this sense, the enforcement of immigration policies by the state can create and/or exacerbate existing challenges, such as health and mental problems, social marginalization, and racial stigmatization, among others. Other studies from rural places (e.g., Keller 2019; Mares 2019; Thompson 2020) have shown immigrants experiencing high levels of immigration law enforcement feel more marginalized and isolated, creating problems like stress and other poor health and social outcomes. These problems are noticeable (especially among youth) in places with strong presence of immigration enforcement authorities (see Allen, Cisneros, and Tellez 2015; Baca Zinn and Mirandé 2021; Capps et al 2015; Cardoso et al 2021; Zayas et al 2015).…”