Major and Classification
Chicano/Latino Studies & French Sociology
Faculty Mentors
- Professor Ricardo Ramirez
Department
- Political Science
McNair Project
“The Influence of Children on Immigrant Parents’ Political Behavior: The Legacy of IRCA”
What kinds of influences do children make on their parents’ political behaviors? To answer this primary research question, data were obtained from the Legalized Population Survey which interviewed immigrants before and after they applied for legalization. The participants were Latino immigrants who became legal residents through the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. I hypothesize that children will have a significant impact on the political behavior of their parents. More specifically, children may persuade their parents to settle in the United States and eventually become American citizens, regardless of their own citizenship status. Additionally, if immigrants have children in the US, then they will be more likely to remain in the US and eventually naturalize. Similarly, if immigrant parents raise their children in their country of origin, they will be more likely to engage in transnational behavior.