Institutionalizing welcome: the emergence of municipal OIRAs and the deliberate disruption of restrictive immigration governance

Abstract

Offices of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRAs) have become prominent local actors within the U.S. immigration governance regime, primarily focused on immigrant integration. This study traces the emergence of three OIRAs and outlines their position within the U.S. immigration governance regime. It then investigates the tensions, challenges, and common but nuanced strategies they use to institutionalize welcome at the local level. Comparative case study methods are used to compare this work in diverse welcoming cities —Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Seattle. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and informal archives, this study explores how, when, and why OIRAs engage in deliberate disruption of restrictive elements of the U.S. immigration governance. In-depth exploration of these three cases reveals the relational patterns that are central to constraining and enabling this disruption. The overarching structure of immigration governance in the U.S. results in common strategies used by OIRAs to balance relationships and change through deliberate engagement with forms of disruption. At the same time, differences in the social, political, and historical contexts of welcoming cities create significant diversity in the specific tactics used to disrupt exclusive practices and work toward institutionalizing welcome at the local level.