Reactive Transnationalism and the Ascent of Donald Trump: Evidence From the Latino Immigrant National Election Survey

Abstract

Between 2017 and 2020, the Donald Trump Presidency made for a particularly hostile context of reception for immigrants in the United States, but did it have any measurable influence on their adaptation? Hostility in the form of interpersonal discrimination is known to increase transnational practices—a pattern dubbed reactive transnationalism. But can a hostile government context produce the same result? The current study considers this by examining Latino/a immigrants’ transnational practices at three time points—the 2016 presidential campaign, between Trump's election and inauguration and during his early presidency. The latter should present the most hostile context. Pooled cross-sectional regression models using data from the Latino Immigrant National Election Study confirm significant increases in transnational remittances and contacts after Trump took office. However, Trump's rise also coincides with a significant decrease in transnational political interest. Overall, the findings provide greater insight into reactive transnationalism and present several directions for future research.