A “Journey for justice”: Immigrant mobilization in response to the revocation of TPS

Abstract

In a time of heightened anxiety about the role of immigrants in American politics and society, it is worthwhile examining how they participate in the political system. The movement that emerged in response to the termination of the immigration status “TPS” demonstrates how, even as noncitizens who cannot vote, immigrants with uncertain statuses indeed embrace a variety of political activities to make their voices heard. Beyond protesting, this movement has availed itself of a number of advocacy strategies that have succeeded in at least temporary extension of the affected immigration status. Finally, the extent to which TPS termination impacts the (often US citizen) family members and communities of status holders also illuminates the difficulty of comprehensively addressing the current piecemeal state of US immigration.