ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the significance of locality in the study of urban migration as a way to counteract the tendency toward methodological nationalism and the emphasis on ethnic categorizations. Attention to religious forms of association among migrants and those non-migrants with whom they practise their religion can serve as a powerful antidote to both methodological nationalism and the ethnic lens. Alabama's law offers a clear example of the growing trend in the USA toward crafting legislation that promotes attrition through enforcement, widely referred to as a strategy of self-deportation. The religious social movement developing in Alabama builds upon a decade's long history of religious action around immigration reform. Despite the powerful influence of Christian leaders and Christian messages in the movement, participation has transgressed the boundaries of race, ethnicity, national origin and religion. As the federal government of the United States moves toward immigration reform, states and municipalities continue to weave an uneven patchwork of laws.
