Reactive ethnicity and the ascent of the Trump administration

Abstract

The first Donald Trump Presidency created a hostile government context of reception for immigrants with its restrictionist approach to migration policy. Segmented assimilation theory argues that such regimes contribute to reactive ethnicity, which can involve increased identification with the origin culture and adversarial stances towards the receiving society. The current study examines this and other possible responses to Trump's ascent among Latinx immigrants. Using pooled cross-sectional regression, this analysis tracks feelings towards in-groups and out-groups at three time periods—(1) the 2016 campaign, (2) between the election and inauguration and (3) during the early presidency. Results identify spikes in negative attitudes towards White Americans and positive feelings towards immigrants at the onset of his administration, following reactive ethnicity. The findings also identify important nuance in how immigrants react to hostility, including reactive solidarity with non-native out-groups and a pronounced pattern of in-group identification among the most acculturated respondents. This study concludes by interpreting these patterns and offering recommendations for future research, particularly as we begin the second Trump Presidency.