Surveillance Without Protection: Policing Undocumented Migrant Workers in an American Suburb

• NCJ Number: 251244
• Journal: British Journal of Criminology Volume: 56 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2016 Pages: 877-897
• Author(s): H. Sung; S. Delgado; D. Pena; A. Paladino
• Date Published: September 2016
• Length: 21 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2010-IJ-CX-0005
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Award: The Forsaken 'Out-Laws': Crime and Justice among Undocumented Migrant Workers in Palisades Park, New Jersey

Annotation

Since policing anonymous and fearful undocumented migrant workers (UMWs) is a challenging police responsibility in the United States, this study examined the dynamics of this challenge in Palisades Park, New Jersey.

Abstract

A total of 160 UMWs living in Palisades Park were interviewed, with attention to their criminal victimization and interactions with the police. Findings indicate that UMWs suffered from a high level of crime victimization but were unlikely to report their victimizations to police. Yet they were eager to contact the police to seek information and assistance in non-legal matters. Police closely monitored UMWs through frequent encounters without provoking widespread resentment. Contradictions in both national immigration control and local politics are offered to interpret police-migrant relations. (Publisher abstract modified)