About this Website
We created this website as a resource for educators, students, reading groups, community groups, and public policy makers interested in learning more about the themes of immigration, day-labor, and community. We have designed the website as a reading guide for the book to elicit reflection and discussion with links to research reports and other useful information and resources that explore issues raised in the book in greater depth. We have created a tab for each chapter of the book with questions, exercises, and resource links to guide discussion and serve as starting points for further research. You can find them by clicking on the "Chapter Guides & Educational Resources" tab.
Immigration, Day Labor, and Community
Over the past two decades communities across the United
States have experienced a rapid influx of primarily Latin American migrants.
These New Destinations for Latino migration have responded to the changes in
different ways. Some communities have passed restrictive ordinances devised to
deflect unauthorized immigration. The logic behind such an approach is that if
life for unauthorized immigrants becomes particularly difficult in a given locality
they will leave. However, such logic inevitably leads to mistrust, fear, and a distinct
sense of rejection that permeates the entire community. In other communities, local responses have
been more productive and positive. Against the Tide: Immigrants, Day Laborers
and Community tells the story of Jupiter Florida, one community in South
Florida that has engaged the immigrant community in a manner that is both
innovative and integrative, creating the opportunity for the two-way process of
immigrant integration to take place. We wrote this book with the hope that it will reach people in communities addressing similar issues to illustrate the value of local and practical approaches to dealing with otherwise intractable issues.