Anti-Immigrant Nativism

Judith Ann Warner

Anti-immigrant nativism is related to a complex set of attitudes and behavior dating to the late 19th century. A nativist is a person who fears or resents immigrants to the United States and wants to take action. These actions include violence, restrictive immigration policy, and limiting the rights of legal immigrants already present. Nativism refers to ideologies, groups, and social movements that support restrictions on immigration. Currently, undocumented migrants who entered clandestinely and legal permanent resident immigrants are often featured in the media as lawbreakers who take jobs from the native born or in other negative ways. In the absence of reasoned discussion and research, this is called “immigrant bashing.” Some negative publicity is aimed at legal immigrants, who may become scapegoats for social troubles and blamed for taking jobs or for the rising cost of public education. In the United States, however, the greatest anger is directed at an ...

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