RT Article
T1 El Amigo y El Esé: Stereotyping of the “Criminal Immigrant”
JF Criminal justice and behavior
VO 50
IS 10
SP 1482
OP 1505
A1 Caraballo, Krystlelynn
A2 Topalli, Volkan
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1858645131
AB The criminal immigrant narrative (CIN) is the embodiment of stereotypes suggesting that foreign nationals are engaged in crime. Research has documented how this narrative has influenced discourse, policies, and enforcement, but none to date has addressed how the CIN affects the stereotyping and interactions of crime-involved individuals with those deemed “immigrants.” This study draws from in-depth, semi-structured interviews of 25 individuals actively engaged in street crime from Atlanta, Georgia, to understand their beliefs regarding immigration, stereotyping of “immigrants,” and their interactions with perceived immigrants, including targeting. Our findings suggest that interviewees’ stereotypes of immigrants and their ascribed attributes are based on perceived nationality, nativity, documentation status, work ethic, criminality, and prior interactions with foreign nationals. Participants demonstrated an understanding of immigration policies from media and political rhetoric. This understanding influenced the stereotyping of immigrants as “illegal” or “doing illegal things,” shaping participants’ views of foreign nationals as vulnerable or dangerous.
K1 Qualitative methods
K1 Latino
K1 UNDOCUMENTED immigrants
K1 Stereotyping
K1 criminal immigrant narrative
DO 10.1177/00938548231180631