Latinos as Agents and Targets: Power & Politics in Immigration Enforcement

As immigration arrests and detentions increase nationwide, today’s crisis reflects enforcement practices with deep roots in the American Southwest. In border communities especially, Latinos have long experienced surveillance that shapes daily life, work, and belonging. At the same time, immigration enforcement is increasingly carried out by Latino and Latina agents working within institutions that aggressively police Latino communities. 

This dual positioning — as both targets of enforcement and participants in its administration — unsettles conventional assumptions about identity, solidarity, and political alignment. It raises urgent questions about how power operates within communities that are simultaneously marginalized and institutionally represented. As Latino communities express diverse political preferences and policy priorities, this discussion will also explore how race and gender structure both enforcement regimes and political attitudes. Join us for a timely conversation about power, representation, and accountability — and what these dynamics mean for the future of American democracy.

• Amada Armenta, Director, UCLA LPPI, Associate Professor, Department of Urban Planning, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
• Irasema Coronado, Director and Professor, Arizona State University School of Transborder Studies

Panelists:

• Irene I. Vega, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, UC Irvine
• Lisa Magaña, Professor, Arizona State University School of Transborder Studies
• Gustavo Arellano, Columnist, Los Angeles Times

More participants to be announced!