Return to sender? A comparative analysis of immigrant communities in ‘attrition through enforcement’ destinations

Drawing on surveys from two Mexican immigrant sending communities, this paper comparatively examines the link between subnational policy structures in US destinations and immigrants' settlement and residency behaviour. It focuses in particular on attrition through enforcement policy at the local and state level that is formed to trigger the voluntary exit of undesirable immigrants. With a twofold comparison of immigrants in three cities and two states, the analysis indicates that immigrants do not alter the duration of time they spend in receiving locales or change their state of residence due to restrictive subnational policies. Rather, economic and social factors more prominently shape immigrants' settlement and residency patterns. The implications of this analysis are discussed with particular attention to the incorporation process for immigrants who remain in destinations with attrition through enforcement policy.