Public Framing
Border Spectacle
A theatrical staging of border policing and migration controls an image of the state of sovereignty and exclusion.
Nativism
An ideology that prioritizes “native” citizens and frames migrants as outsiders based on national belonging rather than explicit race.
Deportability
the constant threat/ possibility that migrants can be detained or deported enabling labor exploitation.
State sovereignty
the supreme, independent authority a state has to govern itself, its territory, and its population without external interference
Protest Paradigm
Describes how the media and government portrayal of protests operate unevenly along racial lines
Racialization of citizenship
The process by which legal differences between citizens and migrants are transformed into racialized, naturalized hierarchies.
Venezuelan Deportations
deportation of Venezuelan nationals that bypassed due process targeting individuals regardless of criminal history
State of exception
Mechanism that allows authorities to act outside of established laws in times of crisis
Scene of exclusion
the idea that border enforcement and deportation create a public image in media and politics showing migrants as outsiders.
Racialized criminalization
stigmatizing specific racial groups as inherently criminal. In turn those groups are policed more and subjected to harsher legal punishments
Enforcement Theatre
refers to immigration enforcement as a public performance of state power, rather than purely a practical effort to stop migration.
Operation Legend
Launched in 2020 as a crime-reduction initiative, it expanded into Democratic-led cities. The article argues it staged federal authority under the banner of public safety.
Intersection of law and society
a dynamic, reciprocal relationship where legal systems and societal norms constantly shape one another
Obscene of Inclusion
the hidden, disavowed incorporation of migrants into the nation’s economic and social life despite their formal legal
Executive federalism
refers to the shift from cooperative federalism to coercive, centralized executive control through federal policing power
Operation Diligent Valor
The government deployed federal agents to Portland to protect federal property during protests. The city became a national stage for executive intervention.