Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies
Volume 9, Issue 2, 2011, Pages 127-138

Unsafe harbor: An analysis of local government use of harboring ordinances to restrict illegal aliens' access to housing (Article)

Richard IV. M. , Howell C. , Peebles S. , Powell K.
  • a Department of Political Science, University of Missouri -St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States, St. Louis University, School of Law, St. Louis, MO, United States
  • b Department of Public Policy, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
  • c Department of Public Policy, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
  • d Department of Public Policy, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States

Abstract

This article is an analysis of the use of "harboring" ordinances to restrict illegal aliens' access to housing. In particular, we analyze the promulgation of harboring statutes in the communities of Valley Park, Missouri and Escondido, California in the context of social justice. Our thesis is that the promulgation of harboring laws by local governments frustrates our country's ability to build a cohesive and consistent national policy towards the provision of shelter to illegal aliens. When local governments legislate in this area, we find that at least threemajor problems arise: (1) there is an increase in the number of disparate rules in this policy domain, thus frustrating the construction of a cohesive national policy scheme; (2) this leads to an increase in the opportunities for disparate interpretations of laws modeled after a federal law; and (3) there is the potential for the creation of unintended deleterious effects on the access to housing by illegal aliens. As such, we make a number of associated recommendations to address these problems. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Author Keywords

Housing Harboring illegal aliens Local ordinances Missouri Valley park Harboring

Index Keywords

Missouri social justice housing local government illegal immigrant United States policy analysis federal system
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79958781194&doi=10.1080%2f15562948.2011.567142&partnerID=40&md5=ea34a9ff5760aa0d35184b3366932a6f
DOI: 10.1080/15562948.2011.567142
ISSN: 15562948
Original Language: English