Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric and ICE Reporting Interest: Evidence from a Large-Scale Study of Web Search Data

This paper studies whether media cues can motivate interest in reporting suspected unauthorized immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Using web search data and automated content analysis of cable news transcripts, we examine the role of media coverage on searches for how to report...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of political science 2024-07, Vol.54 (3), p.748-770
Main Authors: Krupenkin, Masha, Hill, Shawndra, Rothschild, David
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitudes
Automatic text analysis
Broadcasting
Civil rights
Content analysis
Crime
Cues
Deportation
Enforcement
Immigrants
Immigration
Immigration policy
Information seeking behavior
Mass media effects
Media coverage
Narratives
News media
Obama, Barack
Political activism
Political campaigns
Political parties
Public officials
Public opinion
Rhetoric
Speeches
Threats
Trump, Donald J
Unauthorized
Welfare
Welfare dependency
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Summary:This paper studies whether media cues can motivate interest in reporting suspected unauthorized immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Using web search data and automated content analysis of cable news transcripts, we examine the role of media coverage on searches for how to report immigrants to ICE and searches about immigrant crime and welfare dependency. We find significant and persistent increases in news segments on crime by after Trump's inauguration, accompanied by a sharp increase in searches for how to report immigrants. We find a strong association between daily reporting searches and immigration and crime coverage. Using searches during broadcasts of presidential speeches, we isolate the specific effect of anti-immigrant media coverage on searches for how to report immigrants to ICE. The findings indicate that the media's choices regarding the coverage of immigrants can have a strong impact on the public's interest in behaviour that directly harms immigrants.
ISSN:0007-1234
1469-2112
DOI:10.1017/S0007123423000558