Explaining Borderlands Local Government Administrators’ Perceived Responsibility to Aid Asylum-Seeking Migrants

ABSTRACT

In the first eight months of 2019, 33,084 unaccompanied children and 205,290 family unit asylum-seeking migrants were apprehended and released into South Texas border cities. The migrant crisis is a case of “high profile” policy making for local government officials who must balance values of political neutrality and policy responsiveness in order to respond to this “crisis.” This study presents data from a survey of 61 local government officials in Texas border cities and interviews with six senior local government administrators. This survey finds that officials who perceive fewer negative policy impacts associated with asylum-seeking migrants and acknowledge tradeoffs between human and national security are more likely to express a responsibility to act and provide humanitarian aid despite political polarization on the issue at the federal, state, and local government levels.

KEYWORDS:

• Local government administrators
• asylum-seeking migrants
• public administration
• borderlands
• political science
• migration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).