Abstract
In 2019, communities of Central Mississippi experienced large-scale immigration raids. Past studies on immigration enforcement operations show that these types of events have significant consequences. Despite this scholarly evidence, little is known about the effects of large immigration raids and local responses in rural communities. Given the ongoing initiatives to carry out mass detention and deportation of immigrants, learning more about these events and the communities affected is paramount. Based on data from semi-structured interviews, this study uses the Community Capitals Framework to examine how large immigration raids have transformed communities. Results show that the raids had negative consequences in all the community capitals, but public awareness about these events led to spiraling up locally available assets to address community challenges. These findings highlight the critical consequences of immigration raids and key community resources that can be mobilized to support immigrant families and communities.
Recommended Citation
Thompson, Diego, and Silvina Barrera. 2026. "Rural Communities Transformed by Immigration Raids: A Community of Capitals Perspective." Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 41(1): Article 5. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.34068/jrss.41.05
