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The Detention-To-Deportation Pipeline And Local Policies Of Resistance: A Case Study Of Santa Clara County, California, Matt Bakker Phd

Societies Without Borders

Deportation has reached record levels in the United States over the last decade. A major reason for this is that the federal government began using integrated databases and biometric surveillance technologies to identify deportable migrants whenever they come into contact with law enforcement officials. Implementing this enforcement technology in all jurisdictions across the country, the federal government undermined local inclusionary policies and brought state and local police into the work of federal immigration enforcement. This article examines efforts in one locality – Santa Clara County, California – to limit cooperation with this federal deportation machine. Drawing on documentary evidence and …