Framing the Immigrant in Labor Unions and the Military in the United States

We present a comparative study of organizational discourses on immigrants in two cornerstone US institutions: labor unions and the US military, both powerful players in setting the terms of immigration debates and policies in the United States. How do unions and the military frame the role of immigrants within their institutions and in US society? We draw on qualitative content analysis of materials produced by AFL-CIO and the US military between 2000 and 2020. Despite significant differences in these institutions, we find that they share the following three core themes in their framing of immigrants: (1) immigrants as potential threats, (2) immigrants as essential workers, and (3) immigrants as a source of diversity. We synthesize existing research on labor unions and the military to contextualize these commonalities, engaging theory on diversity ideology and organizational discourses. We conclude by discussing the implications of these discursive patterns on immigrants and US immigration policies.