Jobs, Flags, and Laws

Abstract

Immigration is currently a combustible social issue in the United States, contributing to national political polarization. The Minuteman Project is one prominent group shaping contemporary immigration politics. This study explores the Utah chapter of this movement and explains why people join. In social movement terms, we highlight which grievances—material, cultural, or value-oriented—predict movement recruitment. This research incorporates a range of qualitative data: in-depth interviews, primary documents, and observation. Our fundamental finding is that contrary to a dominant belief, material interests are not driving anti-immigrant activism. Instead, we find that this activism grows out of the intersection of value-oriented and cultural grievances. Integrating four bodies of sociological theory, we find that values and culture—more than material interests—motivate people to become members of this important social movement.