Pragmatism within White Politics: Arizona Latina/o Elites’ Immigration Strategies

Political positions attributed to activists from U.S. racial minorities have been criticized for allegedly fragmenting the coalitions needed to defeat an increasingly authoritarian right. This paper analyzes how Latina/o political elites in Arizona, closely intertwined with the state's pro-immigrant movement, strategize about immigration and claims to belonging. Drawing on 23 semi-structured interviews conducted in 2025, it finds that these elites, across social and ideological profiles, adopt a strongly pragmatic orientation. While they often hold beliefs they understand to challenge dominant aspects of U.S. public culture (conceptualized here as a form of subjugated knowledge about borders, mobility, and belonging), they routinely discount such perspectives in public advocacy. They focus instead on effective intervention within the constraints of white-dominated politics, advancing claims of deservingness and economic contribution despite criticisms of these claims' exclusions. The paper grounds understanding of contemporary U.S. identity politics in how Latina/o identities inform strategies for public intervention.