Spring 2024: Understanding Immigration Non-Compliance in Texas
This artifact is for my POLS-Y 306 State Politics in the United States class. I had the pleasure of writing an Honors Contract for this course. This class was exhilarating and informative about the nature of politics in the United States, something I found very interesting. My honors contract revolved around a 15-page paper that looked at policies in other states and utilized analytical techniques used in class to guide my research. Below are the documents of my final submission.
Reflection
As an honors student, this project allows me to deepen my understanding of the intricate relationship between state politics and public policy. By analyzing real-world political decisions, I am honing my research and analytical skills and gaining insights into how ideological beliefs shape the practical application of the law. The interdisciplinary nature of this study, blending political science, policy analysis, and legal frameworks, aligns with my long-term goal of becoming a law student.
Summary
This project examined immigration non-compliance at the state level, focusing on how political culture, state ideology, party systems, legislatures, and bureaucracies influenced policy decisions. Through an in-depth case study, I analyzed state ideology scores and their relationship to controversial immigration policies. I explored the decision-making processes and factors that drove non-compliance with federal immigration law. The research includes a 15-page paper and a 10-minute recorded presentation summarizing the findings and providing insights into the political dynamics behind state-level immigration non-compliance.