ABSTRACT
Since the 1980s, civil society organizations have become increasingly central actors in providing services to the poor. A succession of neoliberal policy initiatives and bureaucratic reforms over the last 30 years have shifted responsibility for the provision of social services for the poor from the state onto local nonprofit agencies, communities, and ultimately individuals. As welfare state programs have been dismantled, privatized, or come under increasing austerity pressures, nonprofits have become the principal providers of assistance to people in economic need. Immigrants, for whom federally funded programs have historically been scarce and lacked broad political support, are particularly likely to access services and programming through the voluntary sector. New immigrants, who disproportionally come from the Global South, have considerable needs as they settle into their new place of residence. Those whose skills are limited and systematically devalued in the post-industrial economy often require assistance with employment placement, addressing legal issues, securing affordable housing and engaging in the many everyday activities that sustain life in a new place and create a sense of belonging. Migrant civil society organizations-community groups, faith-based organizations, nonprofits, and unions that provide services to, and in conjunction with, migrants-have become key players in shaping the integration of migrants into an increasingly polarized and spatially differentiated society. Yet, the lack of systematic public programs to assist immigrants in the United States and the growing reliance on nonprofits to address their multiple needs raise concerns regarding the ability of the current system to serve all immigrants equally and foster their integration into local economies and societies. In particular, recent research draws attention to the contradictory role of migrant nonprofit and voluntary organizations as they occupy a unique space at the intersection of the state and civil society. In this chapter we focus on the tensions that civil society organizations face in serving immigrant needs. We begin by contextualizing the emergence of these organizations as key providers of services and advocacy work within two related trends: the globalization and marginalization of labor, and the introduction of neoliberal state reforms since the 1980s. We then provide an overview of the programs and strategies supported by the voluntary sector, paying particular attention to the relationship between nonprofit organizations and the state and emphasizing the geographic implications of a U.S. immigration system that depends heavily on migrant civil society. We end with a discussion of the impact of the re-scaling of immigrant assistance on communities and citizenship.
