ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the case of Operation Streamline, a “zero-tolerance” immigration policy in place in the United States since 2005 designed to increase the criminal prosecution of undocumented border-crossers. This controversial court proceeding provides a rich setting to understand the identity management strategies used by lawyers and judges as they justify their continued participation in the program. Legal professionals must manage how their work-related role identity interacts with their social identities of race/ethnicity, citizenship/generational status, and gender. After briefly describing the sociological research on identity, the aim of the book is stated: to develop a conceptualization of competing identity management, which assesses identity management strategies used by lawyers and judges to manage their multiple competing identities while seeking to comprehend under what circumstances these identities affect their job-related interactions. A section on terminology provides the definitions used throughout the book and an outline of the book is given.
